Check this out. My cousin Lara’s former roommate Dwize is currently working in
’ clinic. They are seeking donations to get the clinic fully stocked and staffed. If you have some space in your account for some good doing, you should support. Mention Dwize and Frolab so they can keep track of your donations!
12/24/07- This holiday season brings news from Dziwe at Village Health Works’ clinic in Burundi. The clinic, founded by Deo Niyizonkiza, Dziwe’s close friend and inspiration, is high in the central African mountains, overlooking expansive Lake Tanganyika.
(See view from clinic above.) Just in the initial planning stages at our 2006 family reunion, the clinic is now a reality, having started serving patients full time just 3 weeks ago. Our family provided vital seed money that facilitated early on-site planning for the clinic and has made generous donations since then. Village Health Works, with help from the local community at every level, have now constructed 4 clinic buildings, installed a clean water system for the entire community, hired 5 highly-skilled nurses, trained 34 HIV/AIDS community health workers, bought an ambulance and procured a 6 month supply of medicines. Resident physicians and medical students from Harvard will be coming to help out on regular rotations starting within a few weeks. Partners in Health physicians, including Paul Farmer, provide diagnostic assistance via e-mail.
The clinic serves a population of over 100,000, many being refugees who fled to the mountains during the ethnically-driven civil war in Burundi (neighboring Rwanda was also affected). Most of these people have not seen a doctor in years, if ever. The clinic’s ability to care for night time emergencies is currently hampered by a lack of electricity. Fortunately, solar power and a backup generator will be installed in January. In the meantime, Dziwe was able to diagnose a night time emergency patient, above, by candle-light, using a portable ultrasound. The patient, Mrs. Nkula, had an acute inflamed gall bladder. Dziwe treated her with broad spectrum antibiotics and she quickly recovered. You can see that her family was relieved and very grateful when they saw she is going to be all right.
Despite Deo’s tireless efforts, national fund raising efforts for Village Health Works have fallen terribly short this season, due to concerns about the economy. Dziwe, who is directly responsible for and affected by the clinic’s operational budget, asked me to send this newsletter out to family and friends, in hopes of supplementing national fund raising efforts. Long term prospects for sustainable funding are excellent, with foundation support expected to become available within a year. The current situation provides us with an opportunity to help the clinic provide for its patients in this critical growth phase.
Those interested in making a contribution can make their checks out to Village Health Works. If you note “Dziwe family/friendsâ€, we’ll be able to track our donations. Mail checks to:
Laura Byrne
Deputy Director
Village Health Works
3 Prospect Street
Hanover , NH 03755
“You’ll see how beautiful the mountains are, and how hard these destitute yet deter-mined villagers have been working to help build the clinic. You’ll also see how generosity and time from a concerned community here in the USA is being translated into providing health care — as well as helping shed light on the humanity in a neglected corner of the world.†-Dziwe
