Local Girl Scout Troop 3327, led by parent volunteer Jenny Bradshaw, assembled 90 layette kits for Mercy Hospital's maternity ward.  Every woman who gives birth at the hospital receives a layette kit, including two each of cloth diapers, shirts or onesies,  washcloths, diaper pins, and a receiving blanket. The layette items were donated to Floris United Methodist Church's alternative giving initiative this past Christmas. The kits are deeply appreciated by the women who give birth at Mercy, most of whom have very little money. We are grateful to Troop 3327 and Floris UMC for their generous donation of time and materials.

If your organization is interested in assembling layette kits for Mercy Hospital, please contact Missions Specialist Linda Reinhard at lindareinhard@helpingchildrenworldwide.org.  These are the guidelines for the kits:​

Cesarean section deliveries save lives

The busy Mercy staff continues to deliver babies, through normal deliveries and cesarean deliveries when necessary.   Since the operating suite opened in 2018, the hospital has been able to provide life-saving emergency c-section procedures, saving the lives of mothers who are not able to deliver vaginally.   

The need for cesarean sections can be aggravated by a range of issues such as delays in accessing the appropriate level of care, and transportation delays.  Sierra Leone has one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world, with 11 mothers dying of pregnancy-related complications for every 1000 live born babies.  The ability to perform c-section procedures at Mercy Hospital is a critical element of the global movement to reduce maternal mortality.  

 

Simple hernia procedures save the lives of babies and toddlers

Two-year-old Saidu's family brought him to the hospital suffering from an inguinal hernia, a condition that Mercy sees very often, possibly due to premature birth.  Untreated, inguinal hernia can lead to permanent intestinal damage.

Successful surgery was performed on Saidu to correct the hernia.  His family couldn't afford to pay for the life-saving procedure for their son, and were grateful for Mercy's excellent care, which was provided for free. 

Inguinal hernias look like a bulge or swelling in the groin or scrotum, and may be seen more easily when the baby cries.   A hernia can develop in the first few months after a baby is born.  It happens because of a weakness in the abdominal muscles.  To correct the hernia, the surgeon puts the loop of intestine back into the abdominal area and stitches the muscles together. 

The Child Reintegration Centre contacted Momodu and Momoh's Aunt Betty, with whom they had hope to live when they first came to Bo (see earlier story.)  The CRC offered to enroll the family in care, so that she can bring the boys into her home.  With the CRC's support. Auntie Betty happily agreed to take in her nephews, and Momodu and Momoh were reintegrated to live with her and their other two brothers.  

CRC Director Olivia Fonnie, along with CRC staff David Musa and Mabel Mustapha, brought the boys to their new home, equipped with a brand new mattress and duffles, plus backpacks and school supplies so they can go to their new school, SLC Primary-Dambala Road.   

CRC case managers Emmanuel and Abibatu visited the boys at school to see how they are settling into their new classroom.   Momodu and Momoh are happy to back at school.  They proudly shared their writing workbooks with Emmanuel and Abibatu.

by Tina DeBoeser, Director of Missions & Outreach, Ebenezer United Methodist Church

​I had no plans to go to Africa in 2019.  I will say that again - I had no plans to go to Africa in 2019. My year was simply too busy. A year of too much going and too much going on. Although I had been part of a team in 2018 and fell in love with the mission and people, I was not going back in 2019. 

That was final.  

Ever heard of the old Yiddish proverb, “We plan, God laughs”?  I should have known my head’s very reasonable reasons for staying were no match for the Holy Spirit whispering ‘go’!   

So I went back to Bo to embrace the people, beauty, dignity, promise, and the mission. 

I am no stranger to international missions; I am in fact the Director of Missions & Outreach at a large suburban church. As such, one of my key roles is to recruit, prepare, and send teams around the globe to work with partner organizations like Helping Children Worldwide. I recognize and appreciate what a privileged position I hold, one where I have the freedom to choose to experience these opportunities. 

I am also no stranger to the criticisms of short-term mission trips. Many of the concerns raised are valid. When done poorly, a short-term mission trip can actually cause harm and prevent healthy development. 

But when we start a trip well prepared, with a humble heart, and the expectation of developing a mutual relationship, it can be a thing of beauty. This has been my experience with HCW. 

Returning to Bo in 2019 was especially exciting for me. Part of the trip was devoted to visiting and developing an agreement between HCW, my church and two (of an eventual five) villages. This new formal relationship is the brainchild of HCW and we are thrilled to be the beta test! 

Visiting Samie and Fengehun villages was a surreal experience. We were greeted by the senior residents and chiefs, welcomed with song and given the VIP tour of community resources and liabilities. 

Once we sat down to hammer out an agreement, it was fascinating to hear the villagers’ hopes for their community’s future. I was so encouraged to hear strong women speak about their aspirations for themselves and their children.  

One thing I have learned from short-term missions is the truth about mothers. All mamas, regardless of where on the globe they happen to stand, want the same thing.  They want the opportunity to raise their children in a safe environment, free of fear and disease. They want their children to have the opportunity to learn, pursue their purpose, to know that they are valued and loved, and to fall asleep with full bellies.  

I believe that much division and fear in the world could be solved with proximity. Taking the time to be in authentic give-and-take relationships with others who do not look, act, buy, speak, think, vote, love, or live like us is the only way to remove the fallacy of ‘otherness’.  Sometimes it takes going to the other side of the world to open your eyes and heart to those on this side of the street.  

Africa imprints on your soul, just as surely as the beautiful, deep, organic smell clings to your clothes and suitcase long after you have returned home. 

Although I have no plans to return in 2020, I believe I can hear God laughing right now.  

Learn more about joining a mission team to Sierra Leone: www.helpingchildrenworldwide.org/mission-trips