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Senegal Mission Trip

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My wife and I have been attending Mt View Presbyterian Church for about 18 years. The small church in Marysville has been a major source of support through many tough seasons. Major surgeries, death of my mother, a protracted journey through nursing school are just a few of the times when I have felt the love and support of my church family. These experiences went hand-in-glove with my education at Northwest University in Kirkland. One of the requirements of the BSN course is to spend 30 days on a medical mission trip. I was fortunate to be chosen to spend a month with seven other students in and around Calcutta, India. To say that my life was changed by the experience would be a gross understatement. I was able to assess and help people in remote villages, work in urban TB clinics, and I even changed wound dressings of people with leprosy. I hope to have the ability to go back with my family someday. My world view has been completely transformed by the compassion, care, and joy that has been shown to me. Carrie and I are now in the place where we can give back.
 
Just over 10 years ago our church partnered with another church in the area to adopt a village in Senegal, West Africa. The village is a little more than a dot on a map, but has become part of our faith family. Mt View will send a team of folks twice a year in order to help the members of the village with various projects. One of the main emphases over the last four years has been spent working with the village school. We have helped supply the school children with books and materials. We have also made major repairs to the dilapidated school building as well as repaired several broken desks. One trip was spent working with the teachers to build a garden project in order to teach the children about agriculture. This is especially important for this region due to the high level of reliance on farming as a way of life.

 One of the main focal points of the relationship with Diagle (JA-ga-lay) is to meet with them and help them to the point of self-sustainability. A shining example of this is the current project. A plot of land was donated and funds have been raised to build a medical clinic large enough to serve not only the village, but also the surrounding areas. There are currently no clinics in the area. The closest facility is located about a 40 minute van drive on rough dirt roads from Diagle. Only visitors from the city arrive by vehicle. If a person from the villages is in need of medical attention, the will typically be placed in a horse or donkey drawn cart. Imagine a woman who is 8-months pregnant travelling via cart on bumpy dirt roads for over an hour to a doctor’s appointment. This health clinic will fill a great need. It will be staffed with trained medical professionals who can offer OB care for moms as well as newborn care for babies.  Of course, basic first aid as well as family practice-type care will also be provided.

The plan is to have the clinic begin to see patients within the next 4 months. Walls are up and a roof will be in place within the next three weeks. Then the process of ordering supplies and creating a functional space for patient care. This is where I can help. I have been asked to join the team that will go to Senegal in the first part of November.  Typically teams are in-country for 8-12 days. This trip will probably hedge on the longer side. I have taken some time to calculate the amount of vacation I will have by the end of October and came up with just over 40 hours. I am conducting a fund raising campaign that will allow me to participate in this trip without adding financial burden to my family. Part of my fund raising will cover the unpaid time off. The exact days of the trip are beginning to gel, but are not finalized as of today. I can give a higher level of specificity to the situation as the dates become concrete. 

Thank you for any assistance you may give to my request.
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Donations 

  • kinuko noborikawa
    • $100
    • 6 yrs
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Organizer

Thomas Lilly
Organizer
Marysville, WA

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