New Sterile Surgical Unit for Refugees

Posted by christine, October 30, 2007

We’re excited to announce a new Sudan project that Mocha Club is helping support: a new sterile surgical unit for villagers living on the border of Darfur in Nyamlel, Sudan. Mocha Club is currently helping maintain this village, where refugees, community children, and orphans can live safely. Most of the orphans at this village were orphaned by the same Janjaweed that attacked southern Sudan and are now attacking Darfur. You can see Nyamlel on this map. Click on the map to see larger views:

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Why is a sterile surgical unit needed? Here’s a good example: a child in the area found a grenade that blew his hand off. It took a day’s travel by car to get him to a place capable of handling this. By walk it would be 3 days. A really big problem is once rainy season comes…there is no getting out because they can’t get over the rivers, and there are no bridges. Rainy season typically begins in November. The new sterile surgical unit will cost $150,000 and will provide a facility for much needed caesarian section deliveries, fistula surgeries and other traumas. Access will be free and open to all!

Currently, our medical clinic is the only clinic available for the people in our ministry area. People walk for days to get to this clinic.

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During the winter 2007 Meningitis epidemic, hundreds died because by the time they were able to get to the clinic, it was too late to successfully treat them. Our partners on the ground in Sudan also brought emergency aid this past year for a meningitis outbreak in Southern Sudan and worked with partnering organizations to vaccinate 300,000 villagers and treat those who were contaminated.

Our clinic not only serves our widows and orphans but is also offered freely to the community. We first began three years ago with a plastic table and blanket under a tree. Last year we built a mud tukle. The clinic is currently staffed with an indigenous licensed nurse, pharmacists and two technicians. We also have a stateside medical team that visits the area to provide ongoing medical oversight and training.

The design of the clinic allows for private medical examination rooms as well as an interior waiting area to protect the sick while they wait to be seen. It also has full pharmaceutical capacity to protect and dispense all medicines. A generator will supply enough power for running water to be pumped from our pure water well to maintain sanitary conditions within the clinic.

Thank you for helping us continue this good work for the Sudanese.

Provision for Grace Orphanage in Ghana

Posted by christine, October 26, 2007

Video update from Grace Orphanage coming soon…in the meantime, we thought we’d update you on all the things your donations have done in the last several months for the children at Grace Orphanage!

  • CLOTHING $162
  • FOOD $2,385
  • MEDICATION
    • GENERAL $156
    • AIDS $2766
  • SPECIAL NEEDS (Disabled children) $235
  • INDIGENOUS STAFFING $897

GRAND TOTAL $6601

Completion of Orphan Girls’ Dormitories in Sudan!

Posted by christine,

Remember the story of the little boy, “Deng,” in Sudan who fell out of a tree because he had no place to sleep at night? Thanks to your donations, we are helping solve this problem now! Rejoice with us as we celebrate together the opening THIS COMING SATURDAY, Oct. 27th of the dormitories that will house 200 orphan girls in Nyamlel, Sudan!

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Soon we’ll be helping build Phase II: the Boys’ Dormitories.

 

Girls’ Dormitories Completed

On October 15th, the President of Southern Sudan, Salva Kiir, personally visited our director of the project, James, and the children at our school and orphanage in Nyamlel. He spent two hours touring the site, observing the children in classes and celebrating the completion of Phase I of our building project – the Girls’ dormitory, kitchen, dining hall, medical clinic and security fence!

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President Kiir told James that he was amazed at how far a boy like him, who (just a few years ago) was preaching alone under the trees, could accomplish so much. James told President Kiir that it was through the faithfulness and sacrificial giving of thousands of American Christians. They spent the day in celebration and discussion about how to best ensure the safety of the children moving forward.

On Saturday, October 27th, the orphan girls will move into their beautiful new home – safe from both slave raiders and hyenas. Thank you for your sacrificial giving! This would not be happening without YOU!

And just so you understand how much of a feat it was to build the dorms…nearly two years ago, our partners on the ground were trying to figure out how to get building supplies up to Nyamlel where there are no Home Depots, Wal-Mart’s or stores of any kind. Nor are there roads or bridges to safely drive the supplies nearly 1,000 miles. Finally they hired Kenyan drivers to drive the supplies through desert tracks and muddy rivers all the way from Nairobi, Kenya to Nyamlel, Sudan.

After getting stuck in the muddy river, hi-jacked supplies, being trapped without food or safe drinking water, snakes and hyenas, our partners did whatever it took to get those building supplies safely to Nyamlel.

Now we celebrate with you as 200 orphan girls move into the new home and receive the loving care they so desperately need!

COMING SOON: Phase II: Boys’ Dormitories!

Village of Hope: Building progress, Job Training, & Medical Clinic!

Posted by christine,

Here’s an exciting update from Village of Hope in Gulu, Uganda. Thank you for your continued support so we can keep building and maintaining this village for Child Mothers and their babies.

MEDICAL CLINIC
Remember when we told you the Job Training Center was completed and the Medical Clinic was being built? Well, the Clinic has been fully constructed! The only work remaining is the floor, plumbing, fixing internal doors, window glass, and painting. Here’s a photo of the constructed clinic:

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JOB TRAINING FOR CHILD MOTHERS

Through the newly constructed Job Training Center, the women at Village of Hope are learning valuable skills such as…

  • Adult Literacy: 30 women
  • Basketry: 15 women
  • Knitting: 20 women
  • Embroidery: 24 women
  • Tailoring: there are 12 women registered and training is soon to begin with the 4 sewing machines they have
  • Tie and Dye: 12 women
  • Beads: 20 women

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HUTS

There are a total of 22 huts that have been built and all are occupied! A security fence has been installed to ensure the safety of the mothers and children living in the village.

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NURSERY SCHOOL

Villge of Hope now has a nursery school and day care center (32 children in each, total of 64 children)!

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OTHER UPDATES

  • Weekly Bible studies are attended by 200 women on Wednesdays and Fridays.
  • A clean water well has been dug and is now providing clean water to all of the village.
  • The shelter/conference/gathering center is in progress.
  • We have helped purchase land for a chicken farm. The farm has not yet been built but bricks have been ordered.
  • A new kitchen has also been constructed! See here…

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>> See all building plans for Village of Hope

>> View all photos from Village of Hope

What is a “Child Mother”?

These young women are called “child mothers” because they were only children themselves when they were abducted, trained as fighters, and given as sex slaves to rebel soldiers in the “Lord’s Resistance Army,” a rebel paramilitary group in Northern Uganda. Now that they have escaped or been excused as expendable, the community at large rejects them and their children.

Living Hope: October update

Posted by christine,

The following is an update from Living Hope Community Centre near Cape Town, South Africa, which is ministering to those infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS.

“Wait 4 Me”

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Every month, we help Living Hope share their message of HIV prevention with more than 3,900 children through their life skills classes and after-school childrens’ clubs. Just recently a new program was launched by the life skills workers called “Wait 4 Me” to emphasize abstinence as the best way for young people to avoid the HIV virus.
Natalie Wattlington, Living Hope Life Skills worker who coordinates this program, says 700 young people from 7 schools have already signed up to participate! Now she says they must be encouraged in their efforts through the media they use. Plans are underway to send them a monthly SMS text message and to create an email newsletter for those who have this access.

Health Care Centre

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The work in health care is at the heart of what Living Hope does for people with HIV/AIDS and every effort is made to improve services and show patients love and care, says Trevor Gray, Living Hope Manager.

These days, every one of the 20 beds is taken. There are patients from all races and ages and some from other countries. We see that the AIDS virus touches all kinds of people. Apart from the health care Living Hope provides, one of the most important tasks is to listen to the patients as they share their pains, fears for themselves, their children and families, and their hopes for their release. Living Hope chaplains visit these patients regularly to listen, pray, encourage and help where they can. We ask you to regularly keep them and the people they serve in your prayers.