Short-term Mission with Long-Term Impacts through Capacity Building {Donate }

Part of our strategic goal in Africa is to continue to build capacity in our relief and development programs. Motivated by this, Relief Network Ministries collaborated with several organizations to orchestrate this mission trip.

We are back again from Africa with lots of good report and challenging stories to tell you more about later, perhaps in person than over another email. Meanwhile, these photo news will help you appreciate the work done as a picture speaks more than a thousand words.

Photo Left: Our Full Medical Outreach team.  Right: The Asaga Specialist Hospital facility used for the Relief Network Min.'s Medical Outreach there

Photo above: Part of Medical Mission Team members pose for photos with our Water Well drilling managers - Engr. Moses Aende (Gboko, Benue State), & Sharjeel Shakeel (center rear).  Photo Right: A cross-section of patients / villagers listening to the Water And Sanitation Hygiene Training program while waiting to see the doctors at Amangwu.

This mission trip began Sunday June 7^th, and ended on Friday June 25^th when we left Lagos Nigeria to fly back to Houston via Amsterdam, Netherlands.

 WASH – Water And Sanitation Hygiene Programs:

The programme goal is to train community members at each village or community locations where we do either a well project, teach job skills or run a medical outreach. Very basic health and hygiene lessons are taught with illustrative photos or cartoons, videos, and drama scenarios to quickly convey the key points to the hearers. Facilitators also use the opportunity to share the gospel, and will be using more of the Orality techniques from Dr. Jerry Wiles of LWI.

There were over 2000 people at the AMANGWU village outreach, and approx. 250 at the ASAGA clinic outreach.

 The facilitation and training was done by Cherechi Ndubisi-Kalu (a school teacher), and Ms. Sylvia Egbulefu (a nurse practitioner). They were trained as trainers during our June 2010 Mission trip by Mrs. Florence Ogechi Okorie of Relief Network Min. USA.

Photo Left: WASH session in progress while waiting to see the doctors; Right: excited and curious children / Participants

WASH training at each location where we do outreach includes some ORT (Oral Rehydration Therapy) methods, and the use of small life-saving ORT spoons, especially for mothers of young children under the age of 5. This type of education for women and children about ORT is mitigating the impact of diarrheal & water-borne disease in these communities now and reducing the incidence of unwarranted deaths among young children.

• The medical outreach saw people of various ages with all sorts of issues and physical problems.

 

Photo Left: The man with a deep ulcer half way rotten into his elbow. The medical team (Dr. Ikenna Obioma) had to give him special attention and we rushed him to  the nearby Ibem Christian Hospital where he was admitted and treated for several days at RNM's expense before discharge. Right: Cherechi, and Sylvia presenting a slide show with visual cues as they teach Water And Sanitation Hygiene lessons to the crowd at the Outreach.

Left: The nurses help in the make-shift Pharmacy / Dispensary.  Right: Dr. Ben Mbata - Consulting with a patient during the medical outreach at Amangwu.

Photo Left: Dr. Ikenna Obioma discusses as he gets ready for seeing patients at Asaga Specialist Hospital Venue;  Right: Dr. Ikenna, Dr. Ben, Dr. Okorie, Ntia, and Gabriel Ikenna

Photo Left: Team arriving at Asaga Specialist Hospital Venue for the Outreach; Right: Olugu Ukpai - CHAMA's founding President shares his vision and passionate story of how he lost a child to malaria and his dad to cholera, igniting his calling and move to service that saves others from such needless deaths to preventable and water-borne diseases.

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  Photo above: Sharjeel Sharkeel (Chinese Rig Mechanical Engineer specialist; Dr. A. Sunny Okorie - RNM Founding President; and Engr. Moses Aende (Relief & Water Well Min. Int'l Nigeria) - Director North Central Nigeria. They cam to assess drilling equipment issues and plan to rehab the rig and air-compressor early in 2011.

Acknowledgements: On behalf of our Board of Directors, I wish to gratefully acknowledge with many thanks - the partnerships of CHAMA in Canada & Living Hope Community Church Canada; Living Water International for co-sporing the Amangwu - Asaga Water Well Projects in Nigeria, the Emile "Chuck" Toups, David & Monya Giles, Mike & Pam Smith, David & Ashley Durkin, and our many other friends and partners who have contributed financially and in many others ways to make this trip & our continuing work of ministry - a success. Your gifts and prayers are deeply appreciated. Merry Christmas!

May the good Lord of Heaven keep you safe in the palm of His Hands.  A. Sunny & Florence Ochi-Okorie for RNM, Inc.

 www.relief-networks.org . Praise the Lord! To celebrate Christmas differently - join the Advent Conspiracy Movement here: www.adventconsipracy.or