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Eight-year-old Aminata Koroma was brought by her mother to a medical outreach hosted by Mercy Hospital on Mattru Road. Her mother made the journey with her to Mattru Road from Towama village because her child had no appetite and had been vomiting for 4 days. The outreach staff quickly realized that Aminata had an umbilical hernia and took her to Mercy Hospital for treatment. Umbilical hernias are very common in Sierra Leone, as they are often linked to infant prematurity or low birth weight. Roughly 70 hernia surgeries are performed every year at Mercy Hospital. Left untreated, umbilical hernias can cause pain and even death.
Dr. Aruna Stevens and the surgical CHO Lawrence T. Kargbo performed the hernia repair surgery and Aminta’s family received this treatment at no cost to them. Aminata is now recovering back at home, making periodic visits back to the hospital to check her dressings. She now can eat and play with other children without pain or fear thanks to generous donors like you. Countless women make the journey to Mercy Hospital or their outreach clinics every month to receive life-saving treatment for their children. To support this work, consider making this journey yourself by participating in our Virtual Fitness Challenge. Between now and December 31, you can walk, roll, run, jog, row, pedal, or play your way to Mercy Hospital, making the 28-mile journey a mother like Aminata’s would make to get treatment. Join our fitness challenge by yourself or with friends to make a difference in the life of a child like Aminata! 
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Mercy Hospital Antenatal Clinics Gives Hope to Mothers and Their Babies During and After Pregnancy4/25/2023 Sierra Leone is one of the countries battling high maternal and infant mortality rates in the world. The country has once been reported as one of the most dangerous places in the world to be pregnant and to give birth. The good news is that Mercy Hospital is changing this for the better! Thank you for your amazing partnership!  In developing countries like Sierra Leone, many people live in rural areas with limited or no access to healthcare. Mercy Hospital is one of the few healthcare institutions that makes healthcare accessible and affordable to the most vulnerable populations living in the most remote areas of the country.  Most pregnant women in these remote areas struggle to have access to quality antenatal care. Thinking about this, they become so worried about their survival and the life of their babies. With limited or no knowledge and resources, they constantly worry about what to do, what to eat, and how to make sure that they give birth safely. Most have to walk on foot for over five miles to reach the nearest clinic. And even with that, they still could not afford to pay to get quality treatment for themselves and their babies.
With the intervention of Mercy Hospital, a lot has changed, as pregnant women do have the opportunity to attend the antenatal clinic which has continued to help reduce the high infant mortality rate in Sierra Leone. Mercy Hospital hosts antenatal clinics twice a week where many pregnant women and lactating mothers come to receive quality medical care.  Another recent beneficiary of Mercy Hospital’s antenatal clinic, Martha explains, “Since I got pregnant, I started attending the antenatal clinic at the Mercy Hospital. My hope and confidence increased. I became less worried. The nurses and doctors are really nice, as they always encourage us. When we get together in the morning, there are exercises that we do. They talk to us. They give us wise advice as to what to eat, and what to do and not do as pregnant women to stay healthy.” With its primary focus on improving infant, child, and maternal health through holistic, community-focused care, Mercy Hospital treats over 10,000 people every year, regardless of their ability to pay.  "They are life savers! They took great care of me during and after my pregnancy. They gave me free quality medical treatment and they enrolled my child in the nutrition program, With the intervention of Mercy Hospital, there is hope," said Martha.
You are Saving Lives! Because of the generosity of our faithful partners like you, the Mercy Hospital Antenatal Program cares for about 300 women and babies every year. Thank you for saving lives! To learn more about how you can boost Mercy Hospital's efforts in reducing the high infant and maternal mortality rates in Sierra Leone, please visit: Mercy Hospital Campaign Page. CRC Transition Coaching and Mentoring Department staff David Musa and Yatta Palmer, along with Director Olivia Fonnie traveled to Freetown to meet with the Bishop and some UMC SLAC officials in March. The purpose of the meeting was to provide the Bishop and his staff insight into the TCM and its activities; pointing out its successes and challenges. The CRC team was also able to offer feedback to the UMC SLAC on how they as the supervisory body can play active role in joining the TCM in order to engage government ministries and policy makers to support the the efforts of TCM to help orphanages and child care institutions to learn how to reintegrate children back into families, and strengthen those families to care well for them, and also strengthen their relationship with the CRC and other child protection agencies within Sierra Leone and its sub regions.
The CRC team made several presentations to the UMC SLAC. The Bishop and Board members were impressed and expressed active interest in the work of TCM and pledged their support in working with the government and other child protection organizations to support the TCM’s work in Sierra Leone to fully embrace and advocate for family based care and family reunification programs. A follow up meeting was scheduled with the UMC SLAC to discuss plans to have the CRC and top government officials meet to discuss and strengthen their relationship with the TCM and how other child protection organizations running typical orphanages could be link to the TCM with proper monitoring of their progress in the transitioning phase. |
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©2017 - 2021 Helping Children Worldwide
All donations in the United States are tax-deductible in full or part. | Donor and Privacy Policy
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