Help Women and Children
As promised, I shared that this year I challenged SC members to do one Act of Kindness for others each day. Our lovely member @Beatrice has a heart of gold. She is an advocate for women and children in Uganda. Her main focus is on pregnant mothers and the child they are carrying. She is tireless in her work to educate, find solutions and bring about a healthier community where she lives.
During Christmas I jokely gave her a present since she turned up on the nice list in the Smiles Group. The present was a mobile hospital unit so she could bring her services to areas where there were little or no help. Not sure what a mobile hospital would cost, but I like to think big. Now reality set in. Still wishing for the idea of a mobile medical unit to become a possbility, I realised that what was needed was a world wide think tank of individuals who have a wealth of past working knowledge, who may have contacts, who may have worked in the health field or just have great ideas to share.
THIS IS WHERE YOU CAN DO AN ACT OF KINDNESS: Your ideas are needed.
General Goal: To be able to plan, propose, identify funding possibilities, for a mobile medical OBGYN/Pediatric Unit(s) to serve the area Beatrice lives and the could service as a pilot.
Please provide ideas for any of the below questions:
1. What type of vehicle would best met the needs of the unit?
2. Is there a vehicle available from another program no longer in needed that could be transformed?
3. Where could the staff for the units come from which would reduce costs? Interns? etc.
4. Is there already a program that offers this service?
5. What ideas for funding? Grants? Donations? Foundations? etc.
6. How would the program be sustained after initial funding?
7. Could the units provide other things in addition to health checkups, birthing, and child checkups? Training? Supplies?
8. Would you be willing to help in any of the planning areas? Assistance in writing proposal? Research to find other programs? Research to find funding sources? Etc.?
We appreciate any help in the way of ideas. Leave your ideas on this blog. If needed I will ask to set up a temporary group to host the incoming ideas.
Thank you so much for reading this blog and look forward to the wealth of ideas SC members have. Blessing to you all. And blessing for the world for having caring people like Beatrice.
It would be nice to have more than one unit in the area. So what size would be right? In the US we have mobile blood bank mobiles. It has a room to talk to a person and then several bed/seats to draw blood. Could one of these work, they are about the size of a school bus or a little smaller.
We have a mobile osteoporosis service in our area. Check out this link: http://internal.mic.ca/serv_mobile_bone.html
What is being done in other countries to get out to those who need services? Thanks Sassy for agreeing to check with those you know and may have valuable information.
Very nice blog, Linda… I’ll be thinking on this, too.
I was involved with a medical mission to Haiti….Over the years the two Doctors who started this program have been able to (thru lots of donations and money raisers) build a clinic building and pharmacy, train a local to become a doctor and also nurses. They do schedule medical trips with several usa doctors and nurses, down there several times a year and each person pays their own way and expenses. We stay at the church across the street from the clinic. A few of the people who have gone there helped the women start a co-op. Taught them how to crochet and make hand bags/clothes out of..believe or not…plastic garbage bags! They are attractive amazingly so! also they make jewelry…The products are sold in the states and I believe possibly the internet…..anyway. it take a lot of time, commitment and money…..golf tournaments are a good way to collect a lot of funds. they are a pain in the butt to put together but you can make several thousand dollars per tournament. especially if you get high ticket raffle items. When the folks from the usa go there they bring two huge duffle bags each filled with medication for the pharmacy…room for your own stuff in extremely limited…but the trip isn’t about you…it is about the beautiful people of Haiti….
I was involved with a medical mission to Haiti….Over the years the two Doctors who started this program have been able to (thru lots of donations and money raisers) build a clinic building and pharmacy, train a local to become a doctor and also nurses. They do schedule medical trips with several usa doctors and nurses, down there several times a year and each person pays their own way and expenses. We stay at the church across the street from the clinic. A few of the people who have gone there helped the women start a co-op. Taught them how to crochet and make hand bags/clothes out of..believe or not…plastic garbage bags! They are attractive amazingly so! also they make jewelry…The products are sold in the states and I believe possibly the internet…..anyway. it take a lot of time, commitment and money…..golf tournaments are a good way to collect a lot of funds. they are a pain in the butt to put together but you can make several thousand dollars per tournament. especially if you get high ticket raffle items. When the folks from the usa go there they bring two huge duffle bags each filled with medication for the pharmacy…room for your own stuff in extremely limited…but the trip isn’t about you…it is about the beautiful people of Haiti….
Thanks CSweet. Good idea of how to sustain a program through creative ideas.