Happy New Year?

I cried a lot on the first morning of 2007. My heart was bleeding over the extreme poverty and suffering of the ill and unfortunate of Niger. First, our team visited CREN, le Centre de Rehabilitation et Education Nutritionelle. We met several new mothers with their newborn babies strapped to their backs with cloth. I wept for these young mothers and the struggles they would face in ensuring adequate nutrition for their children. But that was only the beginning of my grief ...

As we entered the obstetrics ward of the adjacent Galmi Hospital (located about a half hour from Madaoua), a friend offered us vaseline to smell. This was designed to adjust our sense of smell before entering. As you step inside, the terrific stench of the ward just hits you. (Remember, this is where they are caring for newborns and their mothers recovering from childbirth) As bad as the smell was for us, the outside temperature for us was only about 25 degrees. Our friends related to us that when it reaches 45 degrees in the summer, the stench hits you like a wall.

Inside the ward, many young undernourished mothers clung to tiny babies. Some of the mothers looked to be young girls. The sheets and blankets were filthy; flies were everywhere. I felt like a phony with my new jeans and shirt, and digital camera.

It seemed like our visit did some good. We passed out some baby booties and hats, as well as some bags of toothpaste and deodorant. We got to hold babies and smile at moms and grandmas. It was neat to shake hands with the new mothers as we left and to receive smiles and thank yous from them. But clearly, it was not enough.

The Galmi Hospital is a shambles. It has deteriorated horribly and nothing is clean there. The operating room is an even worse facility than the barebones one seen on the deserted island in Lost.

Fortunately, a rebuilding process has begun. Some of the structure will be demolished and replaced, and the rest of the facility will be refurbished. About $350,000 is needed.

Just a thought for the New Year. While you are arranging to maximize your 2006 RRSP contribution, if you have any excess funds, you could give them to help renew the Galmi Hospital in Niger. Giving money to this project would be a very tangible way to help create a facility that would certainly improve health care in this impoverished area of our world.

If you want to do even more, try to get your family and friends to give also. You can find donation information on the SIM website and you can designate for the Galmi Hospital. For every $100 you give, you can deduct $40 for income tax purposes. I know that God will bless you for giving. And you will have the satisfaction that you have made a difference.

Monday, January 1, 2007