Part 1 of the April 2019 Trip Update
A quote by comedian Amy Poehler aptly sums up our most recent project visit to Sierra Leone, “find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.”
Visiting the hospitals and clinics we support, spending time with the young orphans at River #2, and hours in the car with our Sierra Leone partners made for a productive, inspiring, and always fun trip.
Western Area Health Facilities Providing Care to Women & Children
Nearing its two-year anniversary, Christ the King Hospital in Waterloo, continues to provide much-needed health services to women and children. Waterloo is 22 miles east of Freetown and is the capital of the Western Area Rural. The population is over 48,000 and is one of the fastest growing areas outside of Freetown.
During our visit a young father had brought his son in for a post-natal exam. The facility tracks height and weight and provides nutrition counselling to ensure that children do not become malnourished. The nutrition program is developed around items that families can buy at the local market and therefore are more likely to be able to afford and follow.
At Monsignor Daniel Sullivan Clinic (MDSC) in Newton, we stopped by to deliver a new laptop and to discuss health data results from 2018. Health Administrator Josephine Amara has been working with all facilities we support in the western area to collect patient attendance and disease data. This will help us better understand the health needs of the community. During 2018, MDSC had nearly 4,500 patient visits and 69% of those were women.
No trip to Sierra Leone is complete without a short visit to one of its beautiful beaches. Near Waterloo & Newton, is Tokeh Beach. It is described as a “slice of paradise.” And, it indeed was! We only had time for a quick bite of dinner and then were on our way, but we found ourselves daydreaming about Tokeh Beach for the rest of the trip!
Stay tuned for Part 2 next month. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to be the first to see new blog posts.
