New Hope Initiative travels to the Oljoro Maasai village in Tanzania to host a medical clinic for more than 320 children and adults.
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For the first time ever, New Hope Initiative was privileged to tour the USA with two of our international partners. In the last quarter of 2012 NHI directors Sandy and Karen Baird, Tanzanian mission partners Vernon and Mary Smith, and our African medical director Dr. and Mrs. Byemba, crossed the country sharing the mission and message of New Hope Initiative with churches and other organizations.
The dynamic presentation centered on the Arusha medical center and the riveting story of the Byemba family’s sojourn from the Congo to Tanzania. Ten churches and many other smaller venues across the country heard their inspirational story. This tour brought a much higher level of recognition and interest to the ministry of NHI and was fruitful in producing specific help for the incredible work being done by our medical center in Arusha, Tanzania.
This month we are focusing on the individual people involved in the ministries that New Hope Initiative supports. We often report on our work in the Nairobi area slum called Kibera. There are so many areas of progress we could report on, but we want to focus on a great blessing in the life of one of our New Hope Primary Students.
In Kenya, as in any culture, adolescent girls face the pressure of conforming to standards of beauty and physical appearance. Helen Blank is no different from most of the girls her age. Two years ago, Helen (12) attempted to pierce her own ears. However, it did not go as planned and she developed a tumor on her earlobe. This tumor grew rapidly until it was the size of a golf ball. At an age when young ladies are often very shy and self-conscious, this was a very difficult burden for Helen to bear. She is a beautiful young lady, with an infectious smile, but Helen began to cover her ear at all times and almost never allowed people to see that side of her face. While a curable problem, the cost of the outpatient procedure required was too costly for her family.
In the midst of these trying circumstances, many of our team members have taken a great interest in Helen over the last two years and have loved her throughout the challenge. We are so happy to report that in September, through the new medical clinic program in Kibera, we took Helen to an outpatient clinic and the doctors removed the tumor. You can see the dramatic difference in the before and after photos. We are so excited for this blessing in Helen's life and we are thankful for our New Hope Initiative team that helped make it happen.
Our wonderful clinic in Arusha, Tanzania is steadily gaining regional recognition for the skill and compassion with which they serve their community. Dr. Byemba reports that they are seeing the maximum number of patients possible (600 per week) and are still maintaining a high quality of care even in the face of heavy demand.
The Olorien Clinic faces and overcomes challenges on a daily basis. In February, a young family frantically came to the clinic with their four-year-old son who was suffering from a raging fever and convulsions. The state-run hospital turned them away because of their inability to pay the medical fees. The boy was dying from cerebral malaria, a rare and more severe strain of the normal virus. However, the staff took immediate action and they were able to stabilize the boy. In just 24 hours he was running and playing after narrowly avoiding an untimely and unnecessary death. There are countless similar stories exemplifying the effectiveness of the clinic and staff.
We recently finished our medical housing project, which includes a nice home for Dr. Byemba and his family as well as two apartments for visiting medical personnel.
The next project on tap, slated to begin immediately, is a two-story x-ray and lab building which will house our new x-ray unit as well as allow for expansion of our in-house lab facilities. This will not only provide the only x-ray unit in the area, but also free up space in the main facility for an additional doctor’s examination room. Please pray for our clinic; especially for the strength and wisdom of Dr. Byemba and our staff. Also, please pray for the funds we need ($20,000) to finish the x-ray building.
By Sandy Baird