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CURES AND TEACHINGS IN THE OHUAM PENDÉ

The site of most of the projects we have underway is the Ouham – Pendé region: about 400 kilometres from the capital Bangui, it is one of the poorest areas of the already destitute Central African Republic. The political instability of the entire nation, and the resulting violence, makes poverty endemic and basic rights inaccessible.

Our point of reference in the region is the John Paul II Camillian Hospital in Bossemptélé, which has been working with courage and determination for more than 20 years, representing a landmark for the population who can count on adequate care thanks to this hospital.

The SENÌ- Health and Hygienic Concepts for the Bossemptélé Community project, funded by FONDATION ASSISTANCE INTERNATIONALE (FAI), started on 1 January 2021 with the aim of building the necessary infrastructure for the hospital, supplying medicines and sanitary consumables, recruiting health personnel and promoting hygiene and health education for the local population.

Specifically, as far as infrastructure is concerned, the project aims to contribute to the improvement of the hospital by building a new well that can meet the hospital’s entire water needs and by installing new photovoltaic panels that can guarantee a stable supply of electricity. The well has been completed, is functional and can fully fulfil its function. The panels have all been installed and made operational.

The infrastructural result has been achieved, while the result focused on raising the awareness of the local population on health and prevention issues is ongoing with excellent results. The project includes a series of weekly meetings on specific topics such as nutrition, vitamins, tobacco, alcohol, personal hygiene, malaria vaccination and environmental hygiene. Meetings have already started and continue to take place regularly, both within the hospital and in the surrounding rural areas thanks to the mobile clinic team. To date, more than 4000 people have been involved in awareness-raising activities.

Although the end of the project is set for next summer, the many local actors involved – the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Higher Education, Association pour les Œuvres Médicales des Eglises en Centrafrique – ASSOMESCA and the Order of the Carmelite Sisters of Bossemptélé, as well as the Camillian delegation in the Central African Republic that runs the John Paul II Hospital in Bossemptélé – will continue to work to ensure that the mission of raising awareness among the local population is ongoing and can produce long-term benefits.
We will keep you updated on the progress of the project and the many good stories coming from the John Paul II Hospital in Bossemptélé.

MANY ACHIEVEMENTS IN BOSSEMPTÉLÉ

Not many months have passed since we told you about our project Health and Nutrition for the Vulnerable Population of the Sub-Prefecture of Bossemptélé, which is part of the ‘Emergency Initiative in Support of the Vulnerable Population in the Central African Republic’ funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), and whose aim is to improve the living conditions of the population of the Bossemptélé Sub-Prefecture, which is particularly tried by the instability in the country. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

The Central African Republic has never enjoyed such tranquillity as to allow it to grow and prosper; on the contrary, it has had to contend with numerous coups d’état and as many dictators who, acting without scruples, have allowed the exploitation of the country’s resources, without a thought for the increasingly sacrificed population. The situation in recent years has been particularly difficult: rebel groups have clashed several times with state forces, causing violence and deaths, especially among the most vulnerable population.

In this complex context, the John Paul II Hospital played a key role, providing a point of reference for the population of the sub-prefecture. Despite the clashes and violence, the hospital has always continued to operate and provide support.

Our project starts with the John Paul II Hospital with the intention of increasing its capacity to respond adequately to the needs and requirements of the population. Before our intervention, the facility did not have a proper emergency room in which to receive urgent patients. Now the renovation and extension work on the premises is almost complete and by the end of the project – December 2022 – it is also planned to provide the emergency department with all the necessary furniture and machinery.

Another deficiency found within the hospital concerned the nutritional aspect: a triple problem considering that most of the patients are in a serious state of malnutrition upon admission, that food is necessary to ensure a proper course of treatment and rehabilitation, and that most of those who come from the neighbouring villages, once they arrive in the city, do not have the possibility of buying anything at the local market due to the excessively high prices.

For these reasons, it was decided to build a canteen to provide three full meals a day – based on cereals, meat or fish – for the in-patients, who can thus follow a correct diet and sufficient caloric intake to aid their recovery. The canteen service is also offered to relatives from afar who care for patients in severe need. Currently, more than 2250 meals per month are provided.

In order to improve the quality of the hospital’s services, it was necessary to train 38 in-service health workers in specialist disciplines such as obstetrics and ophthalmology. The training courses are already leading to a significant improvement in hospital performance.

One of the most ambitious components of our intervention is the strengthening of the medical centres located in the villages surrounding Bossemptélé, where services are almost non-existent. Thanks to the AICS-funded project, we have rehabilitated – or in some cases built from scratch – several postes de santé, each of which has a well with access to drinking water. The work is almost complete and the population of the villages of Gbawi, Bodangui, Bombalou and Yangoro already has access to basic health services, without having to make the journey to the city of Bossemptélé, unless strictly necessary for the treatment of more complex illnesses.

Not only qualitative reinforcement of the hospital and postes de santé, but also a mobile clinic service that, twice a week, visits the most difficult-to-reach villages, providing treatment and health education with awareness-raising meetings on prevention and first aid.

Thanks to the support of AICS, our work in the Central African Republic has reached new heights that we hope will mark the beginning of a better life for many people living in the sub-prefecture of Bossemptélé.

This article was produced within the framework of the project Health and Nutrition for the Vulnerable Population of the Subprefecture of Bossemptélé AID 05/RCA/12049/2021 funded by the Italian Development Cooperation Agency. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Italian Development Cooperation Agency. The Italian Development Cooperation Agency is not responsible for information that is considered erroneous, incomplete, inadequate, defamatory or in any way reprehensible.

A SCHOOL AND MANY NURSES

Our Project Director, Mariella, and Fr. Felice de Miranda, President of Salute e Sviluppo, went in the Central African Republic for the usual monitoring of ongoing projects in the country.

The area in which we are currently operating is part of the sub-prefecture of Bossemptélé, an area that is particularly poor and lacking in infrastructure. The only health centre in the area is the John Paul II Hospital, which, as we have repeatedly mentioned, was fundamental for the population, especially during the harshest periods of the civil war fought in the country.
On 1 January 2021, the Project to set up a nursing school: vocational training paths for improving health conditions in the Central African Republic, funded by the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI), began.

The aim of this project is to complete, by 2023, a nursing school with the aim of training specialised personnel who can implement the services provided in the hospital. Besides the construction of the school, a fence and a well are also planned. At a later stage, furniture, computers and other materials will be purchased to meet the needs of the students who will undertake this certified and nationally recognised course of study, which will also make use of the synergy with the John Paul II Hospital for field placements.

If at the beginning of the year we showed you photos of the construction of the well and the beginning of the fence, we can now announce that construction work on the building is proceeding at a good pace, while work on the well and the fence has been completed. Thanks to this last mission, it was possible not only to ascertain the progress made, but also to help the local contact persons with the most optimal design of the facility, which is expected to be ready in a few months.

It makes us particularly happy that from the start of the project to date, the feedback from the population towards our initiative has been more than favourable: while in the first year 11 students enrolled, this year 25 students will be selected out of 30 applicants who applied by taking the school’s admission test. All the teachers are university professors from Bangui, who teach the classes to a high standard, at the end of which a diploma is awarded – after a positive assessment by the examination board – which is valid in the entire country.

In addition, the health workers of the postés de santé of the villages in the area will also participate in the lessons next school year, as the Central African government has stipulated that all public health personnel must increase their level of competence. The government authorities have identified our nursing school as the right place for their theoretical and practical training and will take charge of their preparation.

In addition to increasing staff and hospital standards, the project also aims to increase social inclusion and help many young people integrate constructively into society.

Since the beginning of the year, progress has been remarkable, and it is only a short time before the structure is completed. These achievements make us all the more proud, considering the situation in the Central African Republic, which still suffers from a situation of very strong instability that undermines the possibility of improvement and growth. We hope to give you many more happy updates on our activities!

CLASSES START IN THE GARANGO KINDERGARTEN!

Does Garango remind you of anything? Yes, it is the locality of Central East Burkina Faso that we have spoken about several times during the year: here in the Diocese of Tenkodogo at the beginning of February the work of building a nursery school, funded by the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI).

We have already told you why we chose this area: extreme poverty and the lack of facilities suitable for children from 3 to 5 years. Pre-school-age children did not have the opportunity to undertake a preparatory training course at primary school, either due to the lack of schools near the houses, Both for the reticence of families who do not always consider the education of their children fundamental.

Salute e Sviluppo’ project was inserted in this context by building a building to fill the lack of infrastructure. Already at the end of last month the school had been completed and during the first weeks of October the furnishings for the three large classrooms were bought: chairs, benches, blackboards. After the inauguration took place on Sunday, the lessons began on Monday with many children who entered their new classrooms to start the school.

We are really happy to announce this important milestone and we are very happy to have given the opportunity to more than 100 children to start the school year in line with the usual timing.

All Salute e Sviluppo projects, as we have often mentioned, tend to be rooted in the territory and well integrated into the social context: all the staff chosen to accompany children in this learning path is of the place, The children will have the support of local educators, a canteen where they can have a regular meal a day and everything they need to spend their first years in a carefree and educational way.

The project has a secondary objective – as important as primary – to educate and sensitize adults in the community on the importance of education, how it is fundamental for the proper development and growth of the child and how it assumes even more relevance in a context such as that of Burkina instability and uncertainty.

We told you about the project the first time in March, as soon as the activities started, we updated you in July on the works that were proceeding quickly and now we are very happy with this news and to see how many children are already sitting at their desks, ready to live a new adventure.

HEALTHY MILK AND CHEESE IN BAGRÉ

We at Salute e Sviluppo are particularly happy to announce the conclusion of the Healthy Milk Project in Burkina Faso: it was a long and demanding adventure that saw us in the Bagré area for five years, but which in the end gave its fruits and satisfactions.
We have often talked about Burkina Faso and the living conditions of the local population: in particular, the central eastern area of the country has seen us engaged in numerous projects, All aimed at increasing the quality of life of those living in this particularly poor region and proven from the point of view of food and health. Deficit appears to be the production of milk that is either imported or – very often – is infected due to sick and uncontrolled animals. Salute e Sviluppo decided to enter into this context with the aim of remedying this lack.

In 2017 began the activities that, financed by the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) through the funds of 8×1000 to the Catholic Church, proceed expeditiously until the following year. In 2018 the situation in the country changes radically: a strong political and social instability makes Burkina Faso dangerous and, consequently, the movement of human and material resources suffers a slowdown. Then global pandemic caused a new stoppage.

About a year ago, work started again and led to the completion of the structural and architectural works, which, in recent months, have been equipped with all the necessary machinery, shipped from Italy by container. The project involved several stages: before the construction of a stable and the purchase of livestock, all cows were imported into the area, quarantined and checked by local veterinarians who ensured their health. In a second step, special premises were set up for milking, milk collection, packaging and all dairy production activities. This last stage saw p. Felice de Miranda, President of Salute e Sviluppo, on a mission in Burkina Faso with two experts who taught local communities to work properly with milk and produce various types of products, from yogurt to fresh and aged cheese.

Salute e Sviluppo’s project was designed to have more than one beneficiary: on the one hand all those who are employed in the various activities of the supply chain receive an income and have the opportunity to work and support their families, locals can finally have access to a whole series of products not available at the local market, having, however, the certainty of eating healthy food. These products will also serve to supply the local schools and Camillian hospitals, to improve the food conditions of children and the weakest.

Salute e Sviluppo activities have as a fundamental requirement to be absolutely sustainable, rooted in the territory and fundamental for the autonomous development of the local population. This project is proof of this: the training of staff was the last piece of the project – but one of the most important – now the premises have the opportunity to proceed independently improving and increasing dairy production.

The support of the local Camillians who first identified the need to help the area of Bagré and who assisted us during all the activities was decisive. Even now, despite the end of our project, we are certain that their support will be essential to ensure that the dairy industry continues to function properly.
We thank the CEI for giving us the opportunity to carry out a project that will improve the living conditions of the people of Burkina Faso, much tried and tested by the situation of their country and for this even more in need of help.

Would you like to see Mr Fausto trained? Click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIFzFgbb3mg&t=36s

STONE BY STONE THE FUTURE OF GARANGO IS BEING BUILT

At the end of each article we promise to update you on the progress of our activities, we want to respect the word given and we are really happy to be able to give good news. Today, in fact, we will talk about the project, presented a few months ago, of Realization of a kindergarten in the city of Garango in Burkina Faso: funded by the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), and started last February 1.

Burkina Faso is one of the poorest areas in the world and in particular the region in which Garango is located has many shortcomings, both from the point of view of health and education. We are talking about a territory where schools are often far away and difficult to reach, where traditional culture still plays a central role in family life and where families do not always want to send their children to school.

Pre-school education is almost completely non-existent: children between the ages of 3 and 5 have no facilities that guarantee adequate training and provide a springboard for their subsequent education.

Salute e Sviluppo wants to respond to this need by giving the possibility to about 100 children to live school, sociality and education. If this is the primary objective, the secondary objective is to succeed in changing the widespread mentality, especially among the older generations, still skeptical about the need to have their children studied. Thanks to an awareness programme, we aim to build a much more conscious and attentive community.

The project, as we anticipated, consists in the construction of the school that will host the children: three classrooms, a canteen and a rest room, in addition to the services and rooms of the administration. Subsequently, the school materials will be provided, the training of the operators who will take care of the children and the constitution of the three classes divided by age.

We should wait until February 2023 to see the project completed and the first classes can begin their journey, but already now the progress that has been made is remarkable: we can see from the photos how the structure of the school building was almost completely completed externally, the fence wall already finished and the other environments under construction.

The project is absolutely sustainable and aims to last a long time, remaining rooted in the territory, thanks to the involvement of all the local people: starting from the Camillian community on site, arriving at the operators and school staff, all made up of people belonging to the territory of the diocese of Tenkodogo.

We hope that by the end everything can proceed as planned and that next February the school will be operational and ready to welcome children from 3 to 5 years in the best way. We are proud of all these stones that, one on top of the other, are contributing to the construction of the place of the childhood of many Burkinabé children.

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