Medical Missions Foundation

Dr. Tammy and Mali Mission Coordinator Christina were on NBC Action News today!

Dr. Tammy and Mali Mission Coordinator Christina were on NBC Action News (KSHB Ch. 41) this morning sharing about our recent mission to Ouelessebougou, Mali.

 

Simple Gestures

Guest post by Katie Hyde
Photograph by Rachel Fenimore

While the surgeons, pharmacists, and physicians worked away in Ouelessebougou, Rachel, Jessica, Katie, Abby, Sophie, Boi, and I spent three days in Daganbougou, Boi’s village.

Our three days there were a whirlwind of activity: decorating the school, gifting the students with new textbooks, notebooks, and utensils, playing countless soccer games, learning how to make tea, and soaking up precious time with the villagers of Daganbougou.

But of all of the activities that we did there, my favorite was our all-girls party (plus Boi) the last night we were there. Even Dr. Tammy drove out from Ouelessebougou for the evening!

All of the girls wore their very best clothes for the evening, and excitedly gathered to walk to the school with us, where the party was held. We began the evening by painting every girl’s finger nails in bright colors and sticking flower tattoos on their hands. Then Tammy spoke to the girls about hygiene and encouraged all of the girls to continue to work very hard in school.

We ended the party by giving every girl a handmade headband, decorated with fabric flowers and buttons. The girls’ faces lit up to receive the gifts. We told them to always remember when they wore the headbands that they are beautiful, special, and important.

The next day, every single girl who attended the party was showing off her headband.

The headbands, the nail polish, and the stick on tattoos were simple gestures, but simple gestures done with great love. And that, I learned, was what matters the most.

Katie Hyde is a high school senior, participant of the recent MMF Mali mission and Editor-in-Chief of her high school newspaper, Dart.  

Rachel Fenimore is also a high school senior and participant of the recent MMF Mali mission.

A Smile is the Same in Every Language

Guest post by Katie Hyde
Photographs by Rachel Fenimore

Though as a high school journalist, my job is to convey the sounds, sights, and smells of a moment to the reader, I have found it very difficult to tell my Mali story.

Every time I begin to put pen to paper, I freeze up. So I suppose I will begin with a smile.

I smiled so much in Mali my cheeks ached every night when I crawled under my mosquito net and fell asleep, exhausted.

I smiled for Abby’s billions of photos and Ben’s videos, for the hand washing team’s dance parties and our Dagabo girls-only nail polish party. I smiled for street soccer players and waiting patients and exhausted surgeons.

I smiled when other volunteers and I finished sorting over 50,000 pills on our first day in Ouelessebougou. I smiled when the children of Daganbougou sang the Mali national anthem for us at the top of their lungs. I smiled when Shaka, Boi’s little brother, fell asleep in my arms and everyone nicknamed me “the baby whisperer.”

In her daily notes of inspiration, anesthesiologist Lisa Heath wrote “a smile is the same in every language.” And of all the thousands of lessons I took home with me, that is the one that sticks out.  

My first day assisting intake was controlled chaos. I walked patients along the dusty, gravelly path from intake to another line where they waited to be seen by a physician or nurse. It was on these 30 second walks that I first learned to communicate primarily in smiles. It was mostly out of necessity, especially when a patient would begin conversing to me in Bambara, at which point I said, “Ne tε bamanankan me” (I don’t speak Bambara) and cracked a huge, awkward grin.

I smiled when the Jessica, Rachel, Katie and I stepped out of Yaya’s truck onto the scorched red dust of Daganbougou, and in the distance we could see kids streaming out of the school, sprinting across the field, shouting and leaping in the air. When they arrived, panting, at the car, we all just stood there, staring at each other, not knowing what to say.

So we smiled.

Most of my interactions in Mali were that way, whether I was helping out at the clinic or walking through the market in Bamako or trying to sleep on a concrete floor with just a sheet or sitting down for a meal of rice and peanut butter gravy. 

When I think back to Mali, I think of the feel of dust between my toes and coating every inch of my body. I hear the hollering of “BE!” (goal!) during a soccer game with students in Daganbougou. I smell the perfumed soap from the Laico Hotel in Bamako. Over time, those sights, smells, and sounds will probably fade.

But the smiles will always stay with me.

Katie Hyde is a high school senior, participant of the recent MMF Mali mission and Editor-in-Chief of her high school newspaper, Dart.  

Rachel Fenimore is also a high school senior and participant of the recent MMF Mali mission.

Medical Missions Foundation Mali Mission 2012 Complete

 We've posted numbers already, but to recap, the MMF team performed 92 surgeries, saw over 1000 clinic patients, met with 17 schools for handwashing assemblies and presented at the Wash Cup championship.

Thanks to Mission Coordinator Christina and other MMF volunteers, we were able to post some more photos to the Mali 2012 photo album on Facebook. See them by liking us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MedicalMissionsFoundation.

 

 

 

Mali Mission Wrap Up and Head Back to Bamako

We just heard from Mission Coordinator Christina. The group is back in Bamako and packing up to leave - 92 surgeries, over 1000 clinic patients, 17 schools and one WASH cup championship soccer game! The whole team is happily exhausted.

56 Surgeries So Far in Mali and 176 Clinic Visits

We received a call this morning from Mission Coordinator Christina in Ouelessebougou, Mali. The MMF volunteers performed 25 surgeries yesterday for a total of 56 over the last couple of days. Another 176 people were seen at the clinic yesterday.

Longtime MMF supporter Yeah Samake, Mayor of Ouelessebougou and current Malian presidential frontrunner, visited the MMF clinic yesterday and brought a national film crew with him. Their tour and meeting with MMF volunteers aired on the national news last night, which resulted in a surge of additional people showing up at the clinic this morning. Mayor Samake will also be at the Wash Cup on Friday to say a few words and help MMF volunteers present the trophy to the winning team. 

Read more here about Mayor Yeah Samake's journey from impoverished Ouelessebougou child to BYU public policy graduate and Mali statesman.

A few MMF volunteers are spending the next couple of days in Boi's village, Daganbougou, to help set up mosquito nets donated by the Rotary Club of Overland Park and hand out school supplies and text books for Boi's school. (Read more here about Boi, a little boy whose life-threatening facial tumor was removed by MMF volunteers in 2008).The clinic and handwashing team will be relocating to Daganbougou tomorrow.

We are not able to share photos at this time as the MMF group hasn't had internet access since departing Bamako for Ouelessebougou a couple of days ago.

Mali Surgeries Underway and a New Beginning for 4-Year-Old Moussa- Updated with Pictures

We received a call from Mission Coordinator Christina this morning.

All is going well in Ouelessebougou, Mali and the clinic even started yesterday, a full day early. Dr. Greg, Dr. Tammy and Dr. Brandon have already conducted eight surgical cases with another 23 scheduled for today. 

 About 200 people have been seen in the clinic so far.

Christina shared the story of Moussa, a four year old boy who came into the clinic yesterday completely emaciated. He drank poison two years ago and burned his esophogus. A balloon procedure was performed at that time and needed to take place regularly, but his family wasn't able to afford it after a couple of months. Moussa's esophogus has continued to narrow and the only thing he has been able to eat (or more appropriately, drink) for the last year and a half is milk. His family arrived with him at the clinic yesterday, pleading the doctors to help.

Dr. Tammy immediately put in a feeding tube and he is in much better shape today. He is alert and was even found trying to climb out of bed on his own this morning. There is also potential for ongoing care to provide the necessary balloon procedures for Moussa to fully recuperate.

MMF volunteer, Meredith, getting Moussa situated post-op.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other cases include Dr. Tammy removing multiple goiters, Dr. Greg performing hysterectomies and Dr. Brandon taking care of incontinence problems and hernias.

Christina had meetings over the last couple of days with headmasters at the 18 participating Wash Club schools and was even able to get a picture of all of the Wash Ambassadors. (Read more about the Mali handwashing initiative and Wash Club here). The MMF volunteers at the clinic have been teaching handwashing with soap and announcements will be made on Ouelessebougou radio to publicize the clinic and the Wash Cup. Handwashing public service announcements will be played on the radio station on an ongoing basis to continue to educate people on the importance of using soap.

The MMF group ended a busy day yesterday with a spectacular full moon.

Pictures will be posted as they are received. The group hopes to be able to use a hubspot to communicate via internet later.

The Entire MMF Mali Team Has Arrived

Another awesome day! The rest of the team arrived, all 23. That's a lot of luggage! The medical side went to Ouelessebougou to start screening patients and setting up, and the others stayed in the city and ran errands and planned for the week. Mark ended the day with playing at the hotel bar. Everyone is excited to get on the road bright and early tomorrow.

For more pictures, please visit our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/MedicalMissionsFoundation.

Meeting with Headmasters and Soapmakers

Mission Coordinator Christina and handwashing initiative volunteer, Mark, met with the headmasters from the Wash Club participating schools. Christina and Mark learned about the soap making process from the ladies themselves, who provide the soap for the schools. Read here to learn more about the handwashing initative in Mali, the Wash Club and the Wash Cup.  

 

For more pictures, please visit our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/MedicalMissionsFoundation.

Team Departing Today for Mali Mission

We just heard from our Mali Mission Coordinator, Christina, who arrived in Mali yesterday as part of the advance team. All is going well with the medical set up; Boi is with them as well as Dr. Omar. (Read more here about Boi, a little boy whose life-threatening facial tumor was removed by MMF volunteers in 2008).

The rest of the MMF Mali team left the U.S. today and the group will start screening patients on Sunday. They are preparing for a huge turnout of patients.

Additionally, Christina said there is great excitement in Ouelessebougou for the Wash Cup taking place next week. More than 1,000 people are expected to attend the final game of a tournament started by Wash Club Ambassadors. The Wash Club and Wash Cup soccer tournament are culminations of the efforts made by MMF volunteers on last year's Mali mission. In partnership with UNICEF, thousands of children were taught the importance of washing their hands with soap and water. Since then, ongoing handwashing efforts have been sustained through the creation of Wash Clubs at every participating school. Each one of the 18 schools are participating in the tournament that began in November and will conclude with the Wash Cup next week. Learn more about the Wash Cup and handwashing initative here.

We'll post pictures and more updates as we receive them.

Pictures from last year's mission:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more pictures, please visit our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/MedicalMissionsFoundation.

 

 

WASH Cup to Celebrate MMF Handwashing Efforts in Mali

In 2011, Kansas City-based nonprofit Medical Missions Foundation partnered with UNICEF to incorporate handwashing instruction on their medical mission in Ouelessebougou, Mali. A similar handwashing component will be incorporated in the upcoming January 2012 mission as well.

Last year, Medical Missions Foundation volunteers and Kansas City musicians Barclay Martin and Mark Lowrey of the Barclay Martin Ensemble worked with thousands of children to teach basic handwashing techniques through skits and songs. UNICEF provided the wash basins and the Barclay Martin Ensemble have collected donations throughout this past year to fund  “WASH Club” ambassadors at 18 schools. Each school has a designated lead boy and girl ambassador who are responsible for making sure there is soap and fresh water and that all the children wash their hands throughout the day. The schools compete for prizes for the healthiest class.

The WASH Club, which is comprised of ambassadors from each of the 18 schools, has even started a WASH Cup soccer tournament. This is a great way to continue to put health and hygiene in a prominent place and the final game will even include educational interludes about handwashing geared towards the adults in the audience. The tournament started November 18 and the championship game will be played in January when the Medical Missions Foundation is there conducting a medical mission. In addition to clinics and surgeries, this year 7,000 children will be taught about handwashing through Medical Missions Foundation volunteers.

According to the Center for Disease Control, diarrhea and respiratory infections remain leading killers of young children in the developing world and claim approximately 3.5 million young lives each year. Studies have shown that effective handwashing decreases these diseases substantially. UNICEF estimates that by making handwashing a social norm, respitory infections can be reduced by 23% and diarrheal diseases by almost half. Hand-washing with soap prevents disease in a more straightforward and cost-effective way than any single vaccine.

Click here to watch a video from last year's Mali mission.