Support Liberian Family Health Care and Education

Greetings Friends!

Welcome to our 2nd quarterly update of the year.   Imani House is off and running well into our 30th anniversary year of providing health services to the Liberian people via our family health clinic, which opened its doors during the early years of the Civil War(which lasted 14 years) in 1993. We and our staff have come a long way together, and many of you have been with us!

Thanks to your kind support and prayers to sustain our operations over the years, our dedicated health workers have remained motivated and committed to keeping our Clinic open despite staff kidnapping by rebels, loss of funding agencies, loss of staff to the Ebola pandemic, as well as the passing of some of our key Board and Advisory members as a result of the most recent Covid-19 outbreak The work continues...

The above challenges faced over the years greatly affected the morale of the clinic staff and patients, with even more long-term consequences on the country's economy. But yet our team remains strong, and our patients resilient. Slowly we have rebounded from not only the long years of war but after the trauma suffered from  Ebola compounded by the residual effects of Covid, which our patients are transitioning out of today, and our Clinic is still standing.

Liberia became one of the hardest-hit countries in Weast Africa by the deadly Ebola virus, with 10,678 cases and 4,810 deaths ( also reported by the WHO). Imagine this coming after the trauma on the population after it was estimated that 250,000 to 300,000 people were killed or went missing due to the civil conflict. Many had loved ones and friends were lost during

And just when a sign of relief from war and Ebola, a weak health infrastructure trying to rebound, Liberia had 8,090 Confirmed cases with 294 confirmed deaths of COVID-19. The impact on Africa's oldest democracy was relatively low compared to other countries in the region, but more trauma impacted the country's people. remains

As the country rebounds, so does our humble maternal and children Clinic continues to recover as we move well into 2023; although the struggle to serve the underserved of the country., it is challenging to continue free and low-cost health services to those who need them most. We received no funds approved for the health sector from the government budget. That is why your support is so vital to IMANI HOUSE. The supply chain for providing drugs to health facilities that the Global Fund funds do not include clinics like IMANI HOUSE's Maternal and Children Clinic. Again this is why your support is so vital to our patients. Without you, we would not be able to provide the prenatal treatments to outhouses of pregnant  women during Weekly: "Big Belly Day" (Prenatal Clinic}

IMANI HOUSE Clinic plays a significant role in Liberia's health system although the devastating impact of war and pandemics on the Clinic and the health of the patients we serve. Although substantial progress has been made in rebuilding the country's system, many challenges remain, including limited funding, a shortage of healthcare workers, and inadequate medical equipment and supplies. Clinics like our IMANI HOUSE Maternal and Children Clinic stay on the frontline for those needing medical treatments during this rebuilding process.

For one struggling to find their daily bread in a suffering economy, health is not the priority for oneself or family. In Liberia, one of Africa's poorest countries, health services are in great need. Community health education, also provided by IMANIr HOUSE, become even more critical.

We continue using Bridge Pi as the primary tool for delivering in-clinic health education to all patients every week. Maybe you would like to sponsor this health education project so we can reach more people in the community and children in the schools. If you didn't recall from previous reports, BridgePi is a small hand computer. The device can be connected to a projector so health info can be projected on a screen or wall as a picture, chart, or video. This allows for quickly reaching a more significant number of persons. The digital device also creates a wifi network for patients with smartphones or tablets to connect their devices to directly access health information reviewing and downloading content for free while in the Clinic during presentations by staff. IHI provides tablets to patients during sessions(courtesy of ACF-US African Children Fund). Would you, too, like to donate a tablet or smartphone to the project?

Overall, IMANI HOUSE  is making some improvements in the health system in Liberia, but there are still significant challenges to be addressed in terms of funding, resources, and infrastructure maintenance.

Links:

• http://www.imanihouse.org/Liberia-New
• http://www.imanihouse.org/
• http://bit.ly/IMANIHOUSE