Restoring Healthcare to Women and Girls in Liberia

Right now everybody is focused on Ebola. Liberia's government has set a highly ambitious goal of zero new ebola cases by December 25.  Like everyone we're doing all we can in terms of prevention -  educating people, placing buckets. Last month we authorized the purchase of another 1000 buckets with a continuing goal of placing them in every school, church, mosque, and marketplace in Margibi County. 

When the hospital reopened last month we reopened our clinic treating fevers, malaria, diarrhea, sore throats, wounds, typhoid, STIs, and deworming just as we have always done.  Our emphasis continues to be on community health, keeping people and communities safe and well. Sometimes we see potential cases of ebola and make the referrals necessary for treatment.  Dr. Chris has been hosting the Heart to Heart International Leadership team at her Monrovia Guest House, as they respond to the need to build and staff additional ebola isolation facilities.  We are continuing to work with communities to allow the ebola teams in to do what they need to do. This crisis has brought urgency and attention to our work, but it hasn't changed the work.

There continues to be a scarcity of health workers everywhere in Liberia. Dr. Chris is one of only three doctors in Margibi County.  The other two work for the goverment at C.H. Rennie Hospital.  Our Community Health Workers serve as the primary health care providers for patients in and around Kakata.   Community Health Workers provide health education, they lead the vaccination and immunization campaigns and provide first aid to community members when they are sick. They encourage pregnant women to seek health care and mothers to seek postnatal care.   They are the first responders.  We are moving forward in 2015 to more than double the number of trained Community Health Workers from 8 to 18. 

Last week we finished the grading work required to set the foundation for our new Medical Center facility. We are now able to share the drawings for this beautiful new facility.   Building Goodness Foundation has been supporting our work to design and construct a beautiful, new space over the next twelve months.  Their knowledge and experience have already provided so many benefits to our Liberian team.  Job skills are critical for community development.  Even though we primarily do work in healthcare, one of our goals in building this facility is to use local labor and to train as many men as we can in world class construction skills so that when our facility is complete they can continue with a valuable trade.   

Like the government our plans for the coming year are also ambitious - build a new Medical Center, double the number of trained healthcare workers, keep Margibi County healthy and safe.  With your help we have accomplished so much in the past three years.  We look forward to putting this ebola crisis behind us and with your continuing support, moving forward!  Please remember us on Giving Tuesday - December 2.

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