My name is Bonnie Barclay Mikoski - last year I spent almost a month in Kenya working with a small hospital conducting medical outreach.
One day we traveled an hour away to a very remote village on Lake Victoria where no medical facilities or care were available. There were no actual roads leading into the village – only paths – some wide, some narrow. It was the rainy season and as we fishtailed down the paths - wheels spinning and mud flying - I honestly wasn’t sure we’d make it. Once we arrived, our small team unloaded boxes and boxes of medicine and treated over 300 people for various illnesses such as: typhoid, malaria, sickle cell disease and malnutrition THAT day!
Over and over I watched the medical staff care compassionately for this community.
My favorite patient was an orphaned boy, about 14 years old. He had cut the bottom of his foot some weeks prior – and without access to medical care, the cut festered and now, the wound was urgent!
John Anyango – we call him Dr. John – asked me if we could transport him back to the hospital and buy him a pair of shoes… the poor boy had been walking with an open wound, on the same floor I had seen a rat scurry by on earlier.
Dr. John continues to return to the village caring for this young boy and a community volunteer has assigned him a caretaker. I recently received an update and some photographs: Now, the truth is, although the wound looks better and has healed significantly in the past year, the reality is, if any bacteria made its way to the bone, there is a chance he may lose that foot in the coming years.
Certainly, this boy will suffer pain for the rest of his life from this injury. Dr. John wrote, “How I wish I had the capability to assess his foot more thoroughly.” They simply lack the proper medical equipment to do so.
I came home with a desire to help this hospital in any way possible. It became my goal to raise the funds needed in order to provide them with the medical materials needed to further their capabilities and truly save lives.
Here is the exciting news! I have found an incredible organization in Portland, Maine called Partners for World Health (PWH).
PWH collects medical supplies and equipment that are destined for the landfill. They refurbish medical equipment and donate them to hospitals and clinics within the developing world. All we have to do is pay the cost of shipping. Well, as you can imagine, to say I got excited, is an understatement. After all, just how much could shipping cost?
When I found out the cost of shipping, in my heart of hearts - I laughed – $30,000! But before you gasp – let me tell you the value of what is in the shipping container that is sent – The medical supplies and equipment filling each container is valued at roughly a quarter of a million dollars! Suddenly, $30,000 for shipping sounded like a bargain.
This is doable. Not easy – but doable. Several people have suggested that I start a GoFundMe page. When we reach $30,000 the shipping container will be packed and away it will go.
Let me introduce you to Elizabeth McLellan, President and Founder of Partners for World Health. While working as a Nurse Administrator in a trauma center in Saudi Arabia, Elizabeth had the opportunity to visit a hospital in Quetta, Pakistan. While she was there she observed a surgeon who had just arrived from the operating room; he began to treat a man’s wound with a used bandage, wiped his hands onto his blood-stained, cloth scrubs then continued onto the next patient. It was clear that this hospital lacked even basic supplies such as linens, gauze, gloves, bandages, or tape. Nurses were using glass syringes and reusable metal needles. Sinks were not available to wash one’s hands. As she stood there in the middle of what could only be considered chaos, she thought to herself, "Someday, when I go home, I'm going to do something about this."
And so, she did. Last year PWH shipped twelve 40’ containers all over the world – places like Senegal, Uganda, Syria & South Sudan and yes, Pakistan.
Man’s greatest need? What would YOU say is man’s greatest need? I’m interested in what you’d say. Contribute to this worthy cause, post your answer – “I believe man’s greatest need is_________.” I will personally respond to you. I’m pretty sure I’ve found the answer…
