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Mali: report 2007

July 2007: A national control group and UNICEF visit the UREN. Sophie represents the senior doctor who is unwell. Our establishment and the smooth working of our programme meet with their approval. They reassure us that we will have no problems with future supplies of basic foodstuffs. They thank us for our work and encourage us to continue.

We receive many new cases of malnutrition. Unfortunately, BEBE, one of our senior nutrition nurses suddenly complains of stomach pains. She is hospitalised and operated on for appendicitis. Sophie takes over from her as the babies have to be fed every 3 hours.

During this difficult time, Sophie takes advantage of the distribution one Thursday to weigh the orphans to check for weight loss. Good news, none have lost weight.

Sophie must visit Bamako to organise her daughter's visa. Bouba will transport the milk cartons and the millet for the distributions and Assada will take over at the centre.

Successive rains have made the temperature more pleasant but have also made roads impassable. Gutters overflow and a nauseating smell fills the town. Despite having drawn the attention of the authorities to problems of hygiene several times, we have to revisit those in charge. The sanitation system doesn't work, the town is too dirty.

Sophie concludes :

'Our two programmes are working well and our children are well. During the first six months of the UREN our infant mortality rate has been zero. However, we know that we cannot relax. We must remain vigilant and draw on all our resources to help these children. We must rise to all challenges and maintain our high standards.'

August 2007 : As a result of the inflation in Gao, more and more children are in need. More than 240 orphans now attend the Thursday distributions.

The UREN is very successful. It is building a strong reputation for itself which results in more parents bringing their children for advice and help.

This month, the AAG welcomes Marie-Eve who is a young medical student from Quebec . She has come for two months to help Sophie in her day-to-day work.

At the request of the DRS (Regional Department of Health) Sophie is going to Menaka ( a town approximately 300 kms from Gao) to establish another Nutritional Recovery Unit like the one at Boulgoundié. Marie-Eve and BEBE will take over while she is away. The shortage of personnel means that two night nurses need to be taken on. Following the trip to Menaka, a nurse arrives from Ansongo for two days of training.

In addition to our joy at seeing the progress of the children, we are pleased to receive an email from UNICEF which assures us of their continued support in the fight against malnutrition. This encouragement raises everyone's morale.

During the first six months of 2007 we registered 312 cases of moderate malnutrition and 9 cases of severe malnutrition. Of these : 43.6% of the moderate cases and 55.6% of the severe cases have recovered, 45.2% of the moderate cases and 33.3% of the severe cases are still receiving treatment but there have been no cases of mortality. The remainder are cases of abandonment by the families.

 


UREN
(Nutritional Recovery Unit)

 

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Amarata, 4 years old on Bebe's lap


Flooded roads


Asseïta, 11 month old orphan


Marie-Eve


After one month in hospital, Amarata has become a healthy child who runs around and plays and has started talking again.


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AAG - Association d'Aide à Gao - Suisse - Email: aide-gao@bluewin.ch