Mali: report 2007
January-February 2007: The maternity unit of the CSCOM of the 8 th neighbourhood now looks great. Equipped largely with material from the container, the Health Centre is now a very pleasant workplace. The staffs pay a lot of attention to Sophie's advice which centres on the importance of hygiene. We start the year with the death of a premature baby girl who would probably have survived if we had had an incubator.
On the nutrition front, we have no serious problems in January, the recovering babies are putting on weight. We are however, receiving more 'at risk' children. In February we receive two cases of emaciation and a five month old infant with the most pernicious form of malaria. We are particularly worried about little Seydou. He is suffering neurological after effects due to a lack of adequate care during the first weeks of life.
The distributions to the children during these two months are augmented by blankets and toys which arrived in the container, and pasta and tomato sauce which has been donated by the Italian Mission.
Two trainee, French nurses are doing four weeks training with the CSCOM under the supervision of Sophie.
There is a three week visit by the President and her daughter Johanne. They assist with various activities including helping with the nutrition programme and the distributions made to the orphans in the Townhall courtyard. Alhousseina has become a lovely, twenty-one month old baby. There is no longer any obvious difference between her and her twin brother.
The official reception of the container is undertaken in a warm and friendly atmosphere, in the presence of the Gao authorities. A wheelchair is given to Souté, a handicapped orphan girl who can be seen in the photograph below in the arms of Sophie.
The digger-tractor has made it's first attempts at clearing the rubbish from the streets under the incredulous gaze of several villagers.
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Maternity Unit CSCOM
Checking weight..
...and height
Alhousseini and Alhousseina, one year later
Arrival of the wheelchair
