General Update
We have been encouraged by reports of busyness in the hospital, and this was highlighted on a recent trip in the summer. Although encouraging that the hospital is so busy, even to the point of bed shortages, it’s also a reminder that the need is so great, and the hospital staff and resources are stretched to full capacity. A huge blessing was to see how much new equipment, including a heart monitor and the much needed solar panels that are providing constant energy, have given the whole centre a big boost and are massively increasing their capacity. The scope of the hospital is so large that we are hoping in the future to have separate general and maternity units by contructing another hospital building.
UN Helicopter Crash
At the start of September a UN helicopter crashed into the National Park of Virunga near Rusayu. Three people were wounded. The team at CHR provided first aid with a team of Monusco’s red cross before they left to Goma for further treatment.
Pharmacy
We were able to visit the Faraja in Action Pharmacy in Goma when in Congo in the summer. This pharmacy was initially set up to provide low-cost medications to the Kyezye extension of the CHR and to generate funds to go towards the running of the hospital. The pharmacy has been busy, but there have been some challenges. There were a large number of people displaced following increased levels of violence and massacres in the areas of Rutchuru and Nyiragongo, and the pharmacy provided $2,000 worth of free medication for these people. This is of course, wonderful, although it left the pharmacy very short on stock and short on income to pay the staff salaries. However, we were bowled over by the sacrificial attitude of the staff at the pharmacy – 2 pharmacists and a cashier. They were delighted to be part of a project providing so much help and hope to the people of Goma.
Rape Survivors Testimonies
We have received three testimonies of rape survivors who have been treated at the CHR recently. Their stories are harrowing, and though distressing to read, their situation is representative of the plight of so many women in North Kivu and serves to emphasise the absolutely vital service that the CHR provides in giving access to surgery which would otherwise be prohibitively expensive.
Caroline* was attacked when out in her field by two men and raped multiple times. When she returned to her husband, he mocked and rejected her. When she found out she was pregnant, he left her with her two young children and the baby on the way. About her treatment at CHR, she says, “I testify with gratitude that my health is getting better since the Rusayu Maternity and General Clinic medical team took good care of me with medicine, food and daily spiritual assistance.”
Abigail* comes from a very poor family, and was unable to attend school. She was 15 years old and collecting firewood when she was raped and fell pregnant. She says, “As I was getting sicker and sicker, I came to CHR to meet the Doctor, and after he heard me, they encouraged me to come for treatment and they did a good and regular follow up of my pregnancy until I gave birth. After giving birth, my child had never been in good health because of our life conditions. I was constantly in hospital with my baby at CHR, but he unfortunately died. After my baby died, life went on getting more and more difficult and in this state of illness, but CHR has never stopped to treat me freely.”
*Names changed to protect identity
These women are still facing incredibly difficult circumstances, but we are grateful to be able to provide healthcare where there otherwise would have been none. Thank you for helping us make a difference to the lives of vulnerable people in Goma.
