Many of you are already aware of our vaccination campaign against Meningitis that we started the first of December. In the end of November, we had two church members and five HIV+ patients from our clinic die from Meningitis. The local hospital reported about ten cases during the same time period. Since it was just the beginning of the dry and dusty season (when Meningitis is most prevalent), our mission decided to act quickly and not wait until more people contracted this dangerous disease.
We were overwhelmed and incredibly blessed by the quick and large response to our appeal for support for this campaign. Within just the first week, we were able to raise over $7,500 through over 100 online donations simply through spreading the word through Facebook and word-of-mouth. We ended up surpassing our original goal of $10,000 to provide vaccinations for 3,000 people. By the end of February (today), we have vaccinated over 5,000 people and have had zero (0) new cases of Meningitis among our patients and church members! Thank you all for your efforts in spreading the word and giving to save many lives.
Within the first couple of weeks we vaccinated all our mission staff and families, along with most of our HIV+ patients (who are especially vulnerable to Meningitis). We expanded the campaign to include the churches we work with in our community development programs here in Abengourou. We also did vaccinations in all of the communities where we currently have churches. Almost all of these communities and churches were overwhelmed with gratitude for the assistance provided. Most of these communities are still struggling with the aftermath of last year's conflict stemming from the election. Many felt as if they had been ignored or forgotten. There was a renewed sense of rejuvenation and hope within them.
We truly say thank you to everyone who participated in the vaccination campaign with your prayers, donations or just sharing about the need here in Abengourou. While cases in Abengourou have decreased (only a small handful at the local hospital since the campaign started) other regions have been reporting serious outbreaks as well. People who work for the public health system have said that our quick action has made a huge impact in our area. Thanks for being a part of saving lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment