CMMB Summer 2015 Newsletter

Healthier Lives for Women and Children SUMMER 2015 NEWSLETTER

CMMB Breaks Ground on New Hospital in Haiti

CMMB CEO Bruce Wilkinson (left) and CMMB Haiti Director Dr. Dianne François (center) were joined by local leaders for the ceremony.

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n January 13, 2015, CMMB held a ground breaking ceremony for the new Bishop Joseph Sullivan Hospital in Côtes-de-Fer, Haiti, which is being built with donations from members of the CMMB community.

South Sudan: Rising to the Challenge for Mothers and Children

Once completed, the hospital will serve 77,000 people who currently have little or no access to primary healthcare services.

Carla just returned from Western Equatoria, South Sudan, where she was conducting group workshops and interviews with community leaders, local healthcare workers, and families as part of the launch of CMMB’s new maternal and child health program.

More than 150 people came together to attend the groundbreaking, including community leaders, politicians, medical professionals, church leaders, families, and many others from the coastal community of Côtes-de-Fer.

The new Bishop Joseph Sullivan Hospital in Côtes-de-Fer, Haiti is expected to open and begin serving the community in 2016.

The ceremony closed with the laying of the cornerstone. CMMB CEO Bruce Wilkinson and CMMB Haiti Country Director Dianne JeanFrancois were joined by local leaders, including Côtes-de-Fer’s mayor, Widner Lozier, in placing rocks from the site onto a symbolic piece of wall.

The hospital is expected to open and begin serving the community in 2016. We offer our deepest thanks and appreciation to everyone who has done so much to make this incredible vision a reality. ¿

by Carla Brown, Director of Programs, CMMB

C

MMB is launching a new “Children and Mothers Partnerships” Initiative (CHAMPS) to strengthen health systems and save lives in Western Equatoria State of South Sudan.

factors that threaten the survival of women and children.

I travelled to communities in Nzara to hold dialogues with community leaders, families, women’s groups, health workers and administrators to identify the leading local causes of illness and death.

For example, we learned that families in our target communities lack access to safe, clean water, and as a result, waterborne diseases are a major cause of illness and death, mostly among children. People had been advised to boil their water to make it safe for drinking and cooking.

However, a mother in the workshop told us, “We boil water, but it stays hot.” When you’re in a place with 100-degree temperatures and no refrigeration, how is the water ever going to be cool enough to be drinkable? Based on this (and evidence from other sources), CMMB will now work to provide these communities with sustainable sources of safe drinking water as part of our CHAMPS initiative.

Workshops like this are critical to ensuring that we understand the local context, cultural practices, resources, knowledge, and needs of the people we serve, and that we design our programs to effectively address the underlying

Our efforts to listen to the needs of communities showed our commitment to truly partner with the people of South Sudan. That sense of partnership and trust is the cornerstone of the CHAMPS initiative.

As I witnessed firsthand during my recent field visit, basic logistics and transportation in Western Equatoria are very challenging. Roads are unpaved and it can take hours just to travel a few miles, especially during the rainy season, which lasts eight months.

THE POWER OF LISTENING

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The Toughest Job You’ll Ever Love

by Breana McKinnon, CMMB alumna volunteer Breana McKinnon, a registered nurse based in Baltimore, Maryland, recently completed a one-year deployment as a CMMB volunteer nurse at Tabaka Mission Hospital in Kisii, Kenya, from November 2013 through October 2014.

Bre with students in their school uniforms

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pursued my degree and vocation in nursing because I felt called to help people. After I graduated as a registered nurse from Salisbury University in 2013, I actively sought overseas volunteer opportunities so that I could apply my skills and training to benefit communities in need. I discovered CMMB, and signed up for a one-year volunteer position because the organization’s vision reflected my own, of a world in which “every human life is valued and quality care is available to all.”

CMMB found me a nursing position in Tabaka Mission Hospital in Western Kenya.

Experiences like this make you learn a lot about your strengths, weaknesses, your ability to adapt, and your capacity to be open-minded.

You learn a lot about who you are.

Upon my arrival, I was assigned a role in the maternity ward of Tabaka Mission Hospital.

After a few months, I was transferred to the female surgical ward because the hospital needed more experienced nurses to help deliver babies, perform caesarian sections, and provide care for female patients.

Ordinary days in the hospital could be very difficult for a number of reasons. The most obvious was a chronic lack of resources. The first time I experienced this everyday reality had a dramatic impact on me. I had to remove an oxygen mask from one patient to give it to another whose condition was more serious. There wasn’t enough oxygen in supply for both patients. It was a horrible moment.

Bre with a patient at Tabaka Mission Hospital

An extremely limited budget also meant that the hospital couldn’t afford to supply certain medications. I remember one day a mother arrived with her son, seeking treatment for his dangerous bone infection. We didn’t have the medication her son needed, so she was forced to leave the hospital to try to find and pay for an expensive antibiotic for her child.

I was painfully aware of the fact that if resources were more accessible, and if poverty were not such a huge barrier to people’s quality of life, the health outcomes for many of my patients would have been much different. Many who died might have lived. Seeing the impact of my contribution helped me see why I was there. I realized, “I love these people, I love my work, and I am here to help in any way I can.”

Looking back, I often struggle to tell people what my experience in Kenya was like. I was forced to think differently and see life with a different eco-

Tyson painting

nomic and cultural perspective. I met new people from different backgrounds, and I learned new languages. Experiences like this make you learn a lot about your strengths, weaknesses, your ability to adapt, and your capacity to be openminded. You learn a lot about who you are.

Today, because of what I learned, I have even more conviction for and dedication to the profession I chose. I am even more passionate about my desire to work abroad in resource-constrained communities in the future. For that, I am thankful. ¿

Seeing the impact of my contribution helped me see why I was there. I realized, “I love these people, I love my work, and I am here to help in any way I can.”

Meet CMMB’s Newest Overseas Volunteers C

MMB is excited to introduce our first group of 2015 global volun teers. We have deployed five long-term volunteers to assignments in Peru, South Sudan, and Zambia, where they will help strengthen healthcare systems and provide their expertise to local hospitals and health facilities. By dedicating their time, energy, and skills, they will help to make a positive difference in the lives of families and communities in need. The CMMB volunteer program pairs vital community development initiatives for underserved populations around the world with personal development opportunities for international professionals from a range of sectors.

LINDSEY HAMMOND, PERU Lindsey Hammond is a Doctor of Physical Therapy who works with under-served populations in her hometown of Houston, Texas. She joined CMMB’s community-based rehabilitation program in Trujillo, Peru. In addition to working directly with patients, she will also be promoting the project, training care providers, and working with partner clinics and hospitals. Lindsey says, “I chose to volunteer with CMMB because I wanted to give back to the world in some way, to use the skills I have to help those who might never otherwise get to see a therapist.”

AIMEE ROCHELLE, ZAMBIA Aimee Rochelle has a Master’s in Public Health from Tulane University in New Orleans, one of the top graduate programs in the United States. While studying, she worked for the New Orleans Health Department, and she interned overseas with the global health organization Population Services International in the Dominican Republic. As a CMMB volunteer, she will support CMMB’s Lusaka, Zambia, office, monitoring and evaluating programs, writing grants, and helping to coordinate the new Children and Mothers Partnerships initiative there. Aimee says, “I’m looking forward to making a difference through good public health work.”

MARY KOWITZ, PERU Mary Kowitz is a Doctor of Physical Therapy from Columbus, Ohio, where she has been Orthopedic Resident at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center. Mary has joined the CMMB Team in Huancayo, Peru, where she provides physical therapy services to children in underserved populations. Mary tells us, “I chose to volunteer with CMMB because I wanted to work with a Catholic organization. CMMB allows me to share my skills in a way that promotes sustainable change for global health.”

MKHULULI NGWENYA, ZAMBIA Mkhululi Ngwenya has an Honors Degree in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from Stellenbosch University and is currently pursuing his Masters in Epidemiology with the world-renowned London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in England. He has experience working and volunteering in public health in South Africa, Malawi, and Swaziland. As a volunteer in Mwandi, Zambia, he will help with data management and the establishment of a monitoring and evaluation system. Mkhululi shares, “What CMMB means to me is an opportunity to contribute my skills to building efficient health systems and provide quality health care to communities.”

RACHAEL CONSOLI, SOUTH SUDAN Rachael Consoli, MD, MPH, is a board-certified OB-GYN physician with training in robot surgery.

She teaches at Harvard University, and has served as a medical volunteer on every continent except Antarctica. In Ezo, South Sudan, she will be supporting the CMMB Safe Motherhood Program, working to reduce and prevent needless deaths of mothers and children. Says Rachael, “I feel a calling to volunteer—I feel a responsibility to my fellow beings around the world. It’s an honor to help these heroic women.”

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South Sudan: Rising to the Challenge for Mothers and Children GREAT NEEDS, GREAT POTENTIAL Many times during my visit in South Sudan, community members told me, “You know who your friends are when life is tough: CMMB is here.” We are there, and we’ve made a commitment to be there over the long haul—15 years—to help communities survive and thrive.

There is no doubt that South Sudan faces enormous obstacles and threats to its success as our world’s newest nation. There is a long, hard road ahead, and it will take huge commitment to rebuild after many years of war. But I know that together, we can deliver change for these families.

Since I’ve returned from South Sudan, people keep asking me what I saw. I tell them, “In a tough environment, I saw hope.” That is what drives me—and CMMB—to go where we are needed and do more. ¿

Children collect water for their homes in Nzara, South Sudan.

CMMB in the News No Ceilings: The Full Participation Project On March 9th in New York City, CMMB President and CEO Bruce Wilkinson participated in a major event hosted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation to highlight global progress in advancing the status of women. Bruce joined Melinda Gates and the CEO of CARE, Dr. Helene Gayle, on stage at the event to share evidence of the milestones in maternal and child health that have been achieved in the past 20 years. The event launched the “No Ceilings: Full Participation Report”, published by the Clinton Foundation and the Gates Foundation, which shares vital data and learning on progress in gender equality since the historic commitments made by world leaders at groundbreaking United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995.

The Mother & Child Project The organization Hope Through Healing Hands has compiled a new book called The Mother and Child Project: Raising Our Voices for Health and Hope, published in March by Zondervan, a division of HarperCollins. The official book launch was held on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., with speakers including CMMB’s President and CEO, Bruce Wilkinson. The book presents the voices and insights of influential leaders advocating for ongoing support of vital maternal, newborn, and child health programs worldwide. Contributors include Senator William H. Frist, Melinda Gates, Desmond Tutu, and President Jimmy Carter.

CMMB’s CEO Bruce Wilkinson contributed a chapter on “Maternal Health and the Strategy for Empowering Women.” The Mother and Child Project is available from Barnes&Noble, Amazon, and ChristianBook.com.

Bruce Wilkinson contributed a chapter on “Maternal Health and the Strategy for Empowering Women.”

Bruce joined Melinda Gates and Helene Gayle, CEO of Care, to discuss gender equality.

Leveraging Partnerships for Greater Impact in Global Health On March 23rd, CMMB hosted a highlevel panel discussion at the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C. to launch our new Children and Mothers Partnerships initiative (CHAMPS). The event brought together leaders from government, health care, the diplomatic sector, academia, media, the private sector, and the public sector to exchange ideas for forging effective partnerships in global health. Learn more at www.cmmb.org/leveragingpartnerships.

CMMB Board Member and CEO of Mercy Health, Michael Doring Connelly, his son Quinn, and Dr. Stephanie Ferguson, also on our Board, at CMMB’s “Leveraging Partnerships for Greater Impact in Global Health” event in Washington, D.C. on March 23rd.

CMMB hosted a high-level panel discussion in Washington, D.C. to launch our new Children and Mothers Partnerships initiative (CHAMPS).

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