Amurt in Nigeria, November 2018

[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_row_inner row_type=”row” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]When I first visited Nigeria in 2011, I sensed that the local head, Dada Daneshananda, had ambitious projects in mind to improve the health situation of Ebony State, but honestly I did not imagine that in only 8 years 8 clinics and hospitals could be opened in such a poor region; in the rural areas there were no medical facilities, and if serious health emergencies arose, people died; maternal mortality was estimated by UNICEF to be one of the highest in the world, and if we consider that here each woman gives birth to 10 to 12 children on average, we can understand the seriousness of the problem; today, thanks to Amurt’s widespread health presence, the mothers who follow our protocols almost no longer die.

Ebony State is, to give an idea, the former Biafra that was tragically talked about at the end of the 1960s because it was struck by wars and famine, saw the death of a great many children, an area of great suffering and humanitarian emergencies; since then not much has changed.

Daneshananda, who is Norwegian, has lived in Africa for more than twenty years and has previous experience in Ghana and Burkina Faso; when he arrived in Nigeria he rented a tiny little house in Abhakaliki from which he managed, amid a thousand difficulties, the humanitarian activities in favor of the poor, helped by a small group of people of good will; today Amurt has its seat and headquarters in a large villa, and it could not be otherwise given that the people working for the association are now almost 300 among doctors, nurses, assistants, accountants, administrators, cooks, attendants, drivers etc… A large family that gathers every Monday morning to plan the weekly activity and then leaves for the various destinations in the hospitals built in the most remote and abandoned areas where nobody wants to go because the roads are terrible, there is no electricity, there is scarcity of water and the diseases present are countless, from cholera to malaria, from typhoid to AIDS.

Amurt’s presence in these areas is priceless; here human lives are saved almost every day, but unfortunately some are also lost: during my stay a woman bled to death after a birth that took place in a church without any medical assistance; she came in extremis to our hospital in Uloanwu but by then it was too late. That is why we offer pregnant women free delivery, on condition that they follow a monitoring path by the medical team; in this way we are bringing maternal mortality down to zero.

The equipment available to our staff is not much; everything is lacking, but above all incubators, CPAP machines, surgical lasers, which would be fundamental and which have been requested of us. Above all, electricity is lacking; this is made up for with generators that run only a few hours a day and in emergencies to save money; solar panels are being considered, which would certainly be the most suitable solution.

The children have various problems due to malnutrition; we try to enrich their diet by providing appropriate foods, educating the mothers about nutrition but also making them reflect on the fact that it would be simpler to have a few fewer children in order to raise them better.

The doctors currently employed are 8, one for each hospital; they are mostly young, very motivated to help and to care for their own people, and they proudly wear the Amurt uniform; in Nigeria if you have no money you cannot get treatment, but with us the doors are open to everyone; we ask only for a modest contribution toward care, and if someone is unable to pay, we draw on a specially created emergency fund financed by the donations that come from supporters, because it may seem absurd but dying from sometimes trivial illnesses is still possible in Africa.

I met Dr. Clifford Asogwa in the Odeligbo hospital; he was very busy with dozens of patients waiting to be seen, but he kindly accompanied me to explain the situation; I perceived in him a great dignity, and I was struck by his commitment in absolutely uncomfortable conditions, since he is forced to work grueling shifts in cramped spaces and amid a thousand problems; despite this I noticed great balance and a humanity that unfortunately some of our own doctors have by now lost. A few days earlier the young doctor had found himself in a borderline situation of the kind that often happens to him: a patient was in danger of death due to lack of blood; having it brought from Abhakaliki would perhaps have been too late, so after identifying the blood type he decided to donate his own blood, and he succeeded in the endeavor.

Just today a refrigerated unit arrived for storing blood, powered by solar panels to make up for the lack of electricity; it will be extremely useful because it will save time and money, making blood always available at any hour of the day and night.
Certainly a leap in quality in patient care was made with the purchase of ambulances, which here they did not even know what they were; patients were transported in unequipped cars with often disastrous consequences. Within the year the ninth clinic will be completed and the construction of the tenth is already planned by the end of 2019.

Health in the villages is conditioned by the scarcity and the quality of the water used, but also by bad habits often caused by ignorance and by certain popular beliefs that are unfortunately still very widespread in these areas of Africa. Bringing water to the villages by building wells is certainly a priority for many reasons; we are happy with the collaboration undertaken with Rotary CVS, which I was honored to represent on this trip; as soon as I arrived I took part in a meeting with the Amurt Team and with the Rotary Club of Abhakaliki, represented by the President Chika Elen Heze and by the past President Ogbonnà, with whom the project had been started; then in the following days we followed the various phases of the water project, which provides for the construction of 20 wells in as many villages; about 10,000 people will benefit from this help; we are currently about halfway along the path, and it is expected to complete the work in March 2019.

The activity is carried out very seriously; in the preliminary phase all the villages are informed about the possibility of having a well free of charge; the applications are obviously very numerous, but only those most in need of help are chosen, also making use of in-depth surveys.

Once the beneficiaries of the project have been identified, a first meeting with the community is organized, which I attended, to explain to the population many basic behavioral concepts to improve hygiene conditions and the general state of health; for example the importance of sleeping under mosquito nets to avoid contracting malaria is explained, and a free distribution then follows; the need to use condoms in sexual relations in order not to contract AIDS is highlighted; the problems arising from female genital mutilation are discussed.

Since with a new well there will be water in the village in abundance, children above all are taught to wash their hands often with soap, a hygiene norm that is not taken for granted around here. A committee of 12 regularly elected people is then formed, who must attend a course given by the Washcom, that is, a team of experts in the field, on the correct use of the water system but above all on its maintenance; a final exam will promote those who will be responsible for and the maintainers of the system once it is completed. It is then decided where the drilling will take place, taking into account various factors: ease of access, a sufficiently protected and controllable place, quality of the ground and the possibility of finding water in the subsoil. An appointment is then made for the following day, concluding the meeting amid dances and songs in a friendly atmosphere of great hospitality and gratitude; there were countless demonstrations of gratitude and affection for what Rotary CVS and Amurt Italia are doing for these poor people, who seem to have been forgotten by their own governments, too busy looking after their own affairs or occupied in election campaigns with the usual promises that are then never kept.

The drilling is exciting because you never know how long it can last and whether it will have a positive outcome; the teams are made up of 6 highly organized people who do not lose a second of time, performing work of great quality; sometimes they manage to drill and find water even 3 times a day, and often work at night because it is cooler but also to be freer to operate without being followed by too many people, since usually there is a large number of curious and anxious people eager to see the water gush out. When a village has no running water, people make do by going to look for it, sometimes even kilometers away; it is usually the children and women who take care of this task, carrying the water in buckets they place on their heads; the big problem lies in the poor quality of the water that can be collected; I saw people getting supplies from unhealthy puddles, a sure source of gastrointestinal diseases and of malaria. This is still Africa today, the Africa of the forgotten areas where life and death live side by side and mark daily existence, somewhat as happens among the animals of the savanna.

To reach water with the drill, at least 2 full hours are needed; there is no maximum because various problems can be encountered: rocky ground or too muddy; sometimes the drilling machine breaks; it happens that there is no water in the subsoil; in our case at Ndiagu there was already water at 38 meters but it was decided to continue to 43 meters where there was more abundance. When the drilling is concluded, a plastic pipe with a diameter of 30 cm is inserted as a casing, which protects the pipes proper that will carry the water to the surface, and then gravel is thrown on the bottom. Then, through a pipe, pressure is brought to the bottom of the well to push the water up to the surface; it arrives rather dirty at first but then, through the filtering action of the gravel, becomes cleaner; this is certainly the most awaited moment for us; it took about 3 hours but it was surely worth it. In the following days a concrete base is then built on which the pump will be placed; meanwhile the Washcom training courses continue until we meet again to insert the necessary pipes into the conduit; the work is carried out together with the maintenance committee, and it is a great celebration when the water gushes fresh and clean from the newly installed pump.

As an Amurt volunteer I have traveled to different parts of the world, touching with my own hands the suffering of the people most in need, always trying to help with targeted actions the least of the earth, those in greatest difficulty. In Nigeria I understood that our action is truly making the difference; the Amurt team, made up of young and capable people financed by some sponsors, is magnificently coordinated by Dada Daneshananda, loved and esteemed by all; in a country where corruption is unfortunately present almost everywhere and oil serves only to enrich those who already have the money, we represent a virtuous example and a hope for the future of this people; we will do our utmost to support them.

Paolo Bocchi President of Amurt Italia[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner row_type=”row” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column_inner][vc_empty_space][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”1779,1785,1788,1791,1794,1797,1806,1812,1809,1782,1800,1803″ img_size=”full” column_number=”3″ grayscale=”no” images_space=”gallery_without_space”][vc_empty_space][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]