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Tag: #solidarietà

RECYCLED WATER FOR SNEHADAAN HOSPITAL

Last week we told you about the recently inaugurated project concerning the purchase of an ambulance and dialysis equipment for the Snehadaan Hospital in Bangalore, India, but this is not the only activity that we at Salute e Sviluppo have decided to carry out in favour of the new Camillian hospital.

Again in synergy with the Sneha Charitable Trust, from this week a new three-month project will start that will see us in the front line to finance the construction of a rainwater well and a wastewater treatment plant: all that water that has already been used, for domestic or industrial use, needs specific treatment to be used safely again.

All our activities are designed to be sustainable and in line with the principles of the UN 2030 Agenda. Water – in particular – has been the focus of many of our projects, all designed to emphasise the weight and importance that this element has for human life and for the wellbeing of the individual, who must have safe access to this fundamental source. Recycling water and treating it appropriately so that it can be reused within the hospital itself is our goal, to reaffirm once again our commitment to our planet and the importance of this element.

In September, when the project is completed, both the well and the treatment plant will be completed and fully functional and available to the hospital. We are very happy to be able to contribute to the achievement of this goal in line with our values, always standing by the Camillians at Snehadaan Hospital.

IN HUANCAVELICA IN SUPPORT OF THE ELDERLY

Thanks to the Asociación Corazones & Manos Solidarias San Francisco, we have the opportunity to be – once again – close to the Peruvian population in need. We have already told you how thanks to them we were able to help children in Lima hospitals suffering from congenital hyperinsulinism (HC), a very rare endocrine disease, to receive the right life-saving drug – Diazoxide.

Very recently, we started another project, again in synergy with the Asociación Corazones & Manos Solidarias San Francisco, ‘Polyclinic equipped for Huancavelica – in favour of the less affluent in the third age’. Huancavelica is one of the poorest regions in the whole of Peru, in particular the outpatient clinic is located near the district of Caja Espiritu, in the city of Acobamba. In this specific area live nine communities in extreme difficulty, especially the elderly who need urgent help: very often their children emigrate to the big cities to find work and they are left alone in poverty.

The Asociación Corazones & Manos Solidaria has decided to take action to improve the living conditions of these elderly people: in six months, medicines, nutritional supplements, hygiene items and everything necessary to make the outpatient clinic more functional will be purchased. All this will be provided at a symbolic price to the 120 severely distressed elderly in these communities. The symbolic price is necessary to make the project sustainable and continuous over time: the money raised will be used to buy back all the material once it is finished.

Not only medical and food equipment, but also numerous activities are planned: support groups, prevention meetings, spiritual reinforcement, all necessary to support the elderly in their loneliness, creating a network of solidarity and support. In addition, numerous garments have already been provided to those who – in greater difficulty – do not have the possibility of buying their own.

We are very happy to be able to participate in the project, supporting the local community. We will keep you updated on all news!

HEALTH AND NUTRITION IN BOSSEMPTÉLÉ

“Health and Nutrition for the Vulnerable Population of the Sub-Prefecture of Bossemptélé’ has been a project that we have told you about many times, recounting all the milestones that we have gradually achieved. The project, part of the ‘Emergency Initiative to Support the Vulnerable Population in the Central African Republic’, was funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and started in September 2021.

The interventions were concentrated in Bossemptélé, the town where the John Paul II Hospital – the health hub of the entire region – is located, and in the surrounding 75 km. We are in the Central African Republic, an endemically poor country, where many of the basic services are the preserve of a few, while the majority of the population suffers from precarious and insecure conditions, both health and food. For some years now, moreover, rebel groups have been making the country even more unstable, carrying out violent acts and frightening the already hard-pressed population.

Anche noi di Salute e Sviluppo – nel corso di questo progetto – abbiamo dovuto affrontare questa situazione, che ha rallentato i lavori, rendendoli più difficili e pericolosi. Despite this, we were able to achieve most of the goals we had set ourselves, including the construction of an emergency room for the John Paul II Hospital. Before our intervention, the hospital did not have the possibility to accommodate the most serious patients in a suitable room, now the emergency room has been completed, both in terms of structural construction and equipment. During this year in which construction work proceeded, the hospital was nevertheless able to see more than 9,000 patients, of whom about one third were admitted to receive the right treatment.

Another deficiency we had identified at an early stage concerned the hospital’s ability to guarantee the necessary meals for in-patients: most of those arriving at the facility have a severe state of malnutrition and need to re-establish a proper diet. In the course of this project, we built a kitchen adjacent to the hospital premises, which can offer three meals a day to all patients. Despite the fact that the structural work has only just been completed, a temporary kitchen has been set up since the start of the project, which has managed to provide three full meals a day for more than 1600 patients.

In order to increase the capacity of the John Paul II Hospital to adequately meet the local population’s demand for care, we decided to start a training programme for health personnel. Thanks to this initiative, 38 workers specialised in obstetrics, ophthalmology, laboratory techniques and maintenance of medical equipment were trained.

In order to provide widespread access to care also in the rural areas surrounding Bossemptélé, we rehabilitated, and in some cases built from scratch, the postes de santé located in some villages within the sub-prefecture. Before our arrival, these facilities were unsafe, with severe structural problems and without any furniture or machinery useful for first aid. During the year, we renovated, furnished and equipped the poste de santé of Gbawi (40 km from Bossemptélé), Bodangui, (10 km), and Bombalou (45 km) with sanitary materials, and we built a new poste de santé in the village of Yangoro, 15 km from Bossemptélé. In addition, we have trained more than 30 workers who will ensure an efficient health service by manning these postes de santé. In addition to each of these facilities, a well was also rehabilitated or constructed to provide drinking water, not only to the poste de santé, but also to the entire population of the corresponding village. Thanks to some budget balances, we were able to rehabilitate an additional well in the village of Boyaram. In total, more than 21,000 inhabitants have access to drinking water.

In addition to these villages, there are many others that, not having a poste de santé and being far from Bossemptélé, remain uncovered in terms of health. To solve this problem, we activated and strengthened the mobile clinic service, which – during the course of the project – was able to visit more than 27 villages, providing first aid to the local population. The mobile clinic also started awareness-raising meetings focusing on different health topics, and managed to involve more than a thousand people. In recent months, the climate of instability in the country has worsened: armed rebel groups have targeted large areas, including part of the area where the mobile clinic operates, some of which have been forced to flee. Due to this situation, it was not possible to visit many villages and proceed with all the previously planned activities.

Despite these difficulties, which caused several slowdowns, the project recorded positive results: 14% more of the local population had access to health services, 25% more had access to drinking waterwhile malnutrition dropped from 40 to 38 per cent. The facilities we have built and the activities we have initiated will continue to be a valuable aid for the locals, who will finally have access to adequate health services of a higher standard.

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.

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.

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

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