Facelift

So first, I want to greet you with some AMAZING news. Baby Boy No Name’s mother called the hospital to let us know that No Name is doing well. He still doesn’t have a name, but is still fighting! Praise God.

Next, I want to say THANK YOU! Since I sent out my last email on how you can help, I have had an overwhelming response. Blood pressure cuffs, books, eggs, hats, blankets, formula, thermometers, hand sanitizer, soap, letters of encouragement and many more promises of things people would like to help with.

I want to tell you a few little story before I tell you about the facelift I would like to do.

I have started inviting people into my home for lunch or dinner when they tell me they are hungry. I had two little ladies eat with me last week. They were afraid to come in, but eventually they did. The table was too much so, we sat on the concrete floor and had lunch together. When one of ladies needed to use the restroom she had never used a toilet, so she just went in the back yard.

A few days later, two little street boys, Bereket and Tesfa, came over. They rode in a bajaj with me home and were amazed. They said they had never been in one. They, too, were afraid of coming in. I told them they could shower, if they wanted. One showered and next thing I knew I had this sopping wet, naked booty running around the house and front yard. I gave him a towel, but he had never used one and didn’t know what it was for. We ate and then I gave them each a t-shirt. They were so sweet. Before they left they tried to pay me with two Birr (12 cents).

These are some of the things that make me feel so blessed.

Now to the facelift.  It is so incredibly difficult to come up with things that are needed here that are sustainable. The longer I am here the less I feel like I know. I met with the administration of the government hospital and the other Obstetrician/Gynecologist. These are the things that we all deem as needed. Some of the stuff is so incredibly

A typical room.

simple, just being able to keep the hospital clean. Like painting the walls (with a paint so the walls can be washed), having water (blood, urine, etc) proof mattresses, being able to provide sheets or even a blanket to the patients. There is no guarantee that when you show up they will be provided for you. Most of the time they are provided, but we also run out of them at times. When speaking with the administration they do not want these things imported because of the taxes that would be added. Even if it is not medical equipment, but things the hospital would use. The best thing would be to buy them locally. Here is a price list.

 

Item	Individual cost	Number Needed	Total cost
Mattress	$47.06	15	$705.90
Mattress cover	$23.53	15	$352.95
Painting a room	$14.71	20	$294.20
Sheet set	$14.71	30	$441.30
Blanket	$17.65	30	$529.50
Surgical Gowns	?$10	15	$150
Total (ouch)			$2474

 

Room for all the Deliveries

The last post about Baby Boy No Name was clicked on 487. I don’t know how many of those actually read it. Several other posts have been looked at over 700 times. I say this to point out that if each person that clicked donated $5 then the entire project would be paid for.

There are two ways to send money. The first is to send it to World Medical Missions. This is tax-deductible. In the comment of a check please put Otona fund.

World Medical Missions

Project #003898

PO Box 3000

Boone, NC 28607

You can also go to www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/giving/wmm_doctors.  If you type in Hail, Stephanie it will allow you to donate online. I just added this to the right side of the blog, so you should be able to see it.

One of the things that I would really love is to have a nurse come and do a full course on neonatal resuscitation and fetal monitoring. If you are interested please email me: hailstephanie@hotmail.com.

I want to give you a little update on my last list. I have decided to not build a chicken coup for several reasons, but one of them being that a man here in town is struggling trying to sell his eggs because the cost of the food has gone up so much. Instead, I will be buying eggs from him to bring to the patients in the hospital. Hopefully, that will help not only the patients, but him as well. At this point I am too busy to try to get a blanket ministry going, so I am putting it on the back burner.

Thank you and God bless you!  I know we can do this!