During my recent trip to Nigeria, I visited the Compassionate Home in Umuagwu village for the 2nd time in 2 years. I couldn’t wait to reunite with one of the children, Scholastica, who, at 3 ½ years old, is the youngest child at the Home. I panned the school courtyard and spotted her amidst the crowd of children, who make up the student body of Mother Enabler School. When I picked her up and greeted her, I noticed she had an unsightly injury on her thumb.
I asked one of the Messengers of Justice Sisters what happened and was told that Scholastica’s thumb was accidentally caught in the iron gate, the entrance to the Home, as it was closing. Without any first aid, the wound just bled and dried into a terrible scab with no treatment other than soap and water! This is but one example of various minor health related challenges we face at the Compassionate Home.
In a remote rural setting, it is very difficult and costly to drive children to the nearest medical clinic especially for routine health and injury issues that could be addressed at the Home. We have transportation with our Mini-Bus, but we have to be discretionary in the way we use our resources. So, we must establish and maintain the personnel and supplies for a basic health clinic. In this way, we can treat small wounds and minor illnesses like cold and fl
The “HEAL Health Clinic” requires the re-hiring of our staff nurse and the resupply of wound disinfectant, antibiotics, bandages, pain relievers, malaria pills, syringes, thermometers, and vitamins. Our nurse lives on site with the poor and marginalized orphans and widows, monitoring their health needs. Also, we will attend to the basic health needs of the poor in surrounding Umuagwu village. The entire budget to set up our clinic and keep it running for a year is $25,000.
Please help us raise these funds as quickly as possible! Currently, we have 50 orphans permanently boarding at the Home and about 100 poor children who come and go during the school year. So, a gift of about $150 meets the basic health needs of one child for a year! Thank you in advance for your generosity!