Association for Christian Healthworkers: 10 years to today
“My faith motivates me to do my job well: I don’t work for my boss, but for the Lord and for the patient.” Thirty young doctors, nurses, and students have come to Jan’s training session on ethics on their day off. The room is full, and there is lively discussion about the case studies in[...]
From nutrition program to research: 10 years to today
Ten years ago, the nutrition program at the clinic in Dakar was in full swing. Malnutrition is still quite prevalent in Senegal, not so much because of poverty, but because of social and cultural factors. In particular, the way we organized care for malnourished infants was innovative. According to [...]
A helping hand
Souleymane has not walked since his stroke six months ago. He sits at home in a recliner and his family takes care of him. Because of his disability, he no longer goes outside and no longer participates in the meetings of village elders. The cultural value of hiding suffering adds to his isolation. [...]
Vision for healthcare: Barthimee Hospital
Hospital Barthimee, established in 2005, is Senegal’s only Protestant hospital. It is about an hour and a half drive from Dakar. It is a second-line hospital with 2 operating rooms, 70 beds and several specialties (internal medicine, cardiology, ophthalmology, gynecology, etc.). The vision is [...]
Palliative home care with church volunteers
Mané*, a staff member at the Christian Nursing School, has begun an ambitious project: palliative home care visits with church members. Care for the dying is little developed in the health care system, and culturally family members also struggle how to deal with this properly. Mané has a big heart[...]
Life lessons in the classroom
“In my community, respect for traditions is an important value: certain illnesses require sacrifices and spiritual rituals.” Although I (Tabitha) am the one in front of the class at this lesson on community health at the nursing school, I am learning at least as much myself. The students[...]
