As many of you know, our sweet Mercy was abandoned at a medical clinic after her mother passed away in childbirth. This clinic is run by Dr. Patrick whom I met a couple of years ago on a "Libraries of Love" trip. It was at this clinic almost one year ago that I met Mercy and fell in love with her. Since then, Dr. Patrick has had one of his nurses taking care of Mercy. He's also worked hard to get all of the necessary paperwork regarding Mercy together for us. We are so grateful for him in so many ways.
Dr. Patrick telling us his story
Dr. Patrick grew up in the village where his hospital is located. He is one of the few that got to leave the village and get an education. He ended up going to school in Great Britain, where he met his wife, who is also Ugandan. They then went to Philadelphia where he finished his education and worked. But he felt God calling him back to Uganda. He knew he needed to give up his life as a doctor in America and move back to his village. He knew that is he didn't go help his people, no one would. So he packed up his family (3 kids at this time all born in the US or UK) and they moved back to Uganda. He's worked hard to get his hospital going and has teams from the US come each year to help do surgeries and mobile medical clinics. He and his wife also adopted twin little girls a few years ago. Their mother also passed away in childbirth and Dr. Patrick had to work around the clock to keep the preemie twins alive. Wow... I'm amazed at all God has done in his life.
Dr. Mutono's Family (minus one away at school) in 2008
My friend Melissa playing with his twins, Joy and Peace in 2008
For months I've been thinking about different projects and things I could do to help Dr. Patrick and his hospital and to show our appreciation for all he has done for us. I also have been wanting to do something in honor of Mercy, to help prevent other mothers from dying while giving birth. Approximately 500 women die giving birth per 100,000 births in Uganda each year--that rate in the United States is about 13.
Dr. Patrick also mentioned that the biggest need in his village is malaria prevention. According to the Uganda Ministry of Health, malaria is the leading cause of mortality in Uganda and is responsible for up to 40% of all outpatient visits, 25% of all hospital admissions and 14% of all hospital deaths. I read estimates from 300-500 people die every day in Uganda from malaria, and the majority of those deaths are in children under the age of 5.
So what can we do about these problems? I've come up with two projects that I want to support. The first is for the mothers. A few months ago, I mentioned on here about "mama kits" that a friend was passing out in Arua, Uganda. These kits contain all of the basic supplies needed to give birth (umbilical cord tie, scalpel, gauze pads, plastic sheeting, gloves, etc.). My plan is to create our own "mama kits" that Dr. Patrick can pass out to women that come into his clinic or to what he calls the TBA's (traditional birth assistants... aka midwives). These kits can go along way to preventing infection and excessive bleeding. I'm still gathering all of the specifics, but I believe I can purchase all of the needed supplies from a medical supply company in Kampala. Then depending on the number of kits, either I will put them together or hire someone to help me do this. We should be able to make each kit for between $5-$10 a piece.
Example Mama Kit
Delivery Room at Dr. Patrick's Clinic
Sweet Baby in the Village
The second project is for mosquito nets for people in the villages nearby the clinic A simple pre-treated mosquito net can go along way in preventing this disease. The mission group that works with Dr. Patrick each year is planning another trip for July. And get this... their group is called MercyTrips. Don't you love that?! This group performs surgeries, helps with hospital patients, and conducts mobile health clinics. One part of this next trip will include a net distribution in one of the villages. These nets cost approximately $10 a piece. However, this amount is huge to the local people who often live on less than $50 a month. Their goal is to pass out 1,500 nets to a village of approximately 400 families. Read more about their ministry here.
Me Showing off Mosquito Nets at a Dorm
Children living in the slums
MercyTrip Team Performing Surgery
One of the team treating a child, most likely for malaria
