When the Calaba Town Clinic opened this morning at nine o'clock, there were some 180 people waiting for services in the compound.
Over the course of the next ten hours, staff and volunteers saw 350 patients suffering from every complaint imaginable. Malnutrition, infection, pregnancy, rashes, high blood pressure and diabetes are only a few of the conditions diagnosed today.
The need for this clinic is so great that there were still 60 individuals waiting to be seen when the clinic closed at 7 p.m. They have been given appointments for later this week.
Technical difficulties prevent me from bringing you images at the moment, but I will upload them as soon as possible.
The hour is late and I want to upload this quick post before the power goes out again.
Thanks to everyone whose generous support has made today possible. The Calaba Town Clinic is providing vital services to its community … we are making a difference.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Weather Delay
Six hundred people arrived at the Calaba Town clinic seeking medical treatment on Wednesday. There has been no advertising for the clinic; all this was from word of mouth. The fact that so many people came before the clinic a week before it was even scheduled to be opened speaks to the great need in Sierra Leone.
Unfortunately, flights out of London had been cancelled due to the record snowfall so the medical mission team was not in Sierra Leone. There are not as many flights to Freetown as you might think. In fact, there are only three a week from London. The Wednesday flight filled immediately and we were lucky to get seats on the next plane.
If the weather cooperates, we will be on the Friday morning flight to Freetown. Snow is in the forecast and we have our fingers crossed that the plows at Heathrow will be able to keep up with any frozen precipitation.
Because we had only planned to be in London for a few hours, a number of team members did not have appropriate shoes or jackets with them. Finding snow-worthy attire was high on the priority list. We also had to scramble to get rebooked for a flight to Sierra Leone and find a place to stay.
I have heard it said that “weather is a great metaphor for life - sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, and there's nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella.” I would like to add that a nice, warm pair of boots can also come in handy.
Hopefully the next posting will be from Freetown as we prepare to open the clinic.
Unfortunately, flights out of London had been cancelled due to the record snowfall so the medical mission team was not in Sierra Leone. There are not as many flights to Freetown as you might think. In fact, there are only three a week from London. The Wednesday flight filled immediately and we were lucky to get seats on the next plane.
If the weather cooperates, we will be on the Friday morning flight to Freetown. Snow is in the forecast and we have our fingers crossed that the plows at Heathrow will be able to keep up with any frozen precipitation.
Because we had only planned to be in London for a few hours, a number of team members did not have appropriate shoes or jackets with them. Finding snow-worthy attire was high on the priority list. We also had to scramble to get rebooked for a flight to Sierra Leone and find a place to stay.
I have heard it said that “weather is a great metaphor for life - sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, and there's nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella.” I would like to add that a nice, warm pair of boots can also come in handy.
Hopefully the next posting will be from Freetown as we prepare to open the clinic.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Welcome to the IDEA Foundation's inaugural blog. I am Jennifer Seaborn, the Executive Director of the IDEA Foundation, and I will arrive in Freetown on Monday, 2 February to conduct site visits of each of the projects that IDEA currently supports and to ensure that these programs are meeting the needs of the people of Sierra Leone.
The hope is that this blog will provide information about the current conditions on the ground in Sierra Leone and demonstrate how IDEA is making a real and lasting difference as the country continues to rebuild.
The hope is that this blog will provide information about the current conditions on the ground in Sierra Leone and demonstrate how IDEA is making a real and lasting difference as the country continues to rebuild.
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