healthcare

Ok, so while preparing for the return of some of the field team, Mariel and I have been trying to improve things a little. So now we would like to welcome you to the new and improved Orphan Relief and Rescue field team office. We've relocated the storage room and turned it into an office, so we now have enough desk space for 5 people to work comfortably. All we need now is some of those sweet roller chairs and a coffee maker that runs on 12 volts. Our printer and file cabinet are in much more useable places too. Everything is ready except the most important part of any office -- the surfboard rack!

Over the past few years, we’ve seen drastic changes in the healthcare needs of the children that we work with. Where once we were constantly attending to sick children, we now have the opportunity to promote wellness. It’s been several months since we last distributed toothbrushes, so once again it’s tooth time! (And, once again, the biggest challenge is getting the children to not eat the toothpaste!) But we’re learning, and hoping that the next time we see Dr. Keith everyone will get a great report!

One of the things that we try to emphasize with the kids and caretakers is the importance of preventing sickness, not just treating it. This last week, some of the kids learned that the single most important thing that they can do to stay healthy is to wash their hands. To demonstrate where germs like to hide and how we need to wash our hands, we used bright green germs (paint) to practice washing correctly. Everyone had fun and learned good technique, as Evelyn demonstrated for the camera.
 

As I'm leaving Liberia in just a few hours, I'd like to take a moment to thank you -- YOU! -- for making this past year such a success.

Together we undertook truly ambitious projects and saw not only physical conditions but children's lives transformed. We dug and rehabilitated several wells. We set up orphanage gardens and farms, training caretakers and children how to get the most out of the soil and seeds. We delivered food to those that needed it most. We provided care for -- and training to prevent -- common illnesses that Liberians suffer through needlessly.