Senahu Nutrition Program

I don't know if you have heard yet from Lauren, but we were together in Senahu for the Incaparina distribution last week. It was pretty tough... Passing through San Nicolas we were stopped by one of the mothers carrying a small child with severe burns all over its torso. We took them to meet the ambulance, and then in Senahu came a family whose toddler daughter had also badly burnt her arm the day before. They walked for five hours through the mountains to pick up their Incaparina, and then took her to the health centre for treatment. Protecting children from accidents around the fire is definitely something we will be including in the health education films...

This time the distribution took place in the town's maternal centre

(one room). Next time we have been promised use of a larger

facility where we won't have to all get wet in the rain.

All the children were weighed...

... and their weights recorded. We now have the help of two

health centre staff, as well as one woman, Matilde, who is paid for the day.

Lauren helped enormously with this and the education films

- as well as working for WHO. We really are very grateful and hope to

see her here again soon.

This is was Petrona last year (I sent you pictures of her in January).

We didn't think she would survive.

This is Petrona now, recovered and with her cleft palate

operated on by US surgeons in Antigua.

It was good to be able to tell this mother that her child will also

be able to have the surgery once she has been on the programme

for a few months and is stronger.

This 22-year-old mother arrived at the centre asking for Incaparina

for her child. Normally she would have had to be referred by a doctor

or health worker, but in her case we made an exception. Her husband

had died suddenly three weeks earlier. The shock stopped the milk

for her 4-day-old baby, and she had been left with no money to buy any,

nor feed herself or her other child.

This child, new to the programme, has normal weight

only because of swelling, but shows the scalp sores

symptomatic of malnutrition.

The next Incaparina distribution will be end October.

Later this month I will meet with health centre staff to review

weights, etc. A couple of children's weights hadn't increased.

It seems they are fed nothing but the Incaparina, since there

is no money to buy them food, which is why they ended up

on the programme in the first place. We will also be looking

at a strategy to deal with these cases.

Thank you, as ever, for your support and kind regards to Susan,

Yvonne

Ecuador Update

Just thought I would let you all in on the latest action in Ecuador. The church has assigned a part time missionary in Salt Lake to develop medical work for eyes in Ecuador. He met with Dr. Zambrano for a week and returned with a great report.

The first letter you read is the missionary, Dr. Christiansen, responding to another eye doctor in Otavalo, Gaby. She is 28, lds, and has to work for the government for 2 years before she works for us.

Dr. Christiansen called me yesterday and reported that the church is going to purchase eye surgery equipment and supplies for our clinics in Otavalo and Quito. Dr. Christiansen will also have Gaby come to the states and receive more training. This partnership will blossom into providing all of Ecuador with some wonderful vision care. Dr. Christiansen will also have eye doctors going to Ecuador to work in our clinics.

One other exciting news for Ecuador. Shell Oil has contracted with CAF on serving the indigenous tribes in the headwaters of the Amazon. Once every month for a year, CAF will send a team of doctors and dentists for a week to provide health care. Shell will fit the bill.

Hope this gives you something to smile about tonight.

Be good and do good.

Gordon

Great Ecuador Team

We were delighted to meet and see first hand what the Ecuador Team have been accomplishing. They are fun, hardworking, dedicated individuals who are making a HUGE difference in their country. We helped work in 2 of the clinics, one in Tena and one in Esmeraldes. When we arrived in each place the people were lined up to receive the free medical and dental work they CAF offered. The crew included doctors, dentists, surgeons, drivers, assistants and technicians. They worked hard hour after hour helping to relieve the pain and suffering of the people.
I was so excited to see the equipment that had been donated by the people in the US being used so well. I had only seen the supplies as we dug them out of storage units or lugged them up the stairs from the basement accumulation spot. They were dirty from not being used and some of them lacked this or that part to make them functional. But here they were, all clean and detailed and repaired. It made all the work of picking them up, transporting them and putting them on containers and dealing with customs, worthwhile. The experience there also brought firmly to our hearts and minds the NEED for help in this country.

Trip to Ecuador

Gordon and Susan sent me these pictures of their trip to Ecuador. They definitely had a blast while they were down there. Washington Zambrano has been doing an outstanding job with CAF in Ecuador.


Here they are at the beach at Esmeraldas Ecuador drinking my favorite Colombian beverage called Pony Malta.

Here is a picture of the Charity Anywhere Van in Ecuador and the Charity Anywhere Medical Center.


And, my personal favorite, the Charity Anywhere Medical Bus. It think they call it the Portable Medical Center.



I am sure Gordon and Susan will have a lot more to post when they get back.