2023 Beit-CURE Children's Hospital of Malawi Annual Report

20 23 A N N UA L R E P O RT

Dr. Lubega performs an orthopedic surgery at CURE Malawi.

PURPOSE

VISION

MISSION

Provide world-class surgical care to the world’s most vulnerable children for the proclamation and demonstration of the gospel

A world where children living with disabilities reach their full potential through God’s hope and healing

To heal the sick and proclaim the kingdom of God — Luke 9:2

2 | Annual Report 2023

CONTENTS A Letter from the Executive Director..............4 2023 Overview................................................ 5

Beit-CURE Children’s Hospital of Malawi

Our Network.................................................... 6 Building the Future: Dr. Dorothy Brings Expertise to CURE Malawi.............................. 7 Hope in the Face of Tragedy: CURE Malawi Provides Urgent Medical Care to Flood Victims.....................................8 Ministry Impact: Transformed: A Win for Winifore................................................... 10 Financial Activity........................................... 12 Board & Leadership Team..............................13 Partnerships.................................................. 14 Join Us........................................................... 15

The numbers and statistics cited throughout this report reflect CURE’s Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23), which ran from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023.

Ethel smiles as she’s wheeled in to have life-transforming surgery to correct her clubfoot.

Annual Report 2023 | 3

A LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Elly Chemey

O

ur annual report always brings an opportunity for reflection. Fiscal year 23 (FY23) was productive despite some challenges.

Children with treatable disabilities still struggle to access specialized care and life-changing interventions.

The negative effects of Cyclone Freddy proved how intertwined Beit-CURE Children’s Hospital of Malawi (CURE Malawi) is with the national health system.

Nevertheless, we have much progress to celebrate.

We broke ground on the construction of new operating rooms, a new kitchen, and the expansion of patient wards to better serve children for generations to come.

We also enhanced the implementation of SafeCare standards and protocols, ensuring quality care is always maintained.

Our community outreach efforts improved significantly in FY23, reaching eight new districts. This brings the total number of districts reached to 15, representing a total national coverage of 53.6 percent of districts reached by June 2023. Over 4,473 children were screened and 1,136 were booked for surgeries from our mobile clinics. Successful community outreach programs led many vulnerable families to seek care.

These opportunities and challenges remind me that CURE’s mission—to heal the sick and proclaim the kingdom of God—remains as relevant as ever.

There are increasing calls for stakeholders to act on their commitments to disability inclusion and access to healthcare. They are using this momentum to propel our efforts forward with national and district collaborators, fostering new and more sustainable partnerships. CURE Malawi is living its core values daily: Christlike Compassion, Integrity Always, Faithfulness in Prayer, Intentional Relationships, Joy in Service, and Commitment to Excellence.

We are committed to reaching all children with treatable disabilities. In FY23, we focused on areas where we were needed the most: families in the Dzaleka Refugee Camp, people injured by Cyclone Freddy, and three marginalized districts in Northern Malawi, including Chitipa, where we met an incredible young man named Winifore. You can read his story on page 10.

This report highlights CURE Malawi’s work during FY23, from July 2022 to June 2023. I thank God for all our accomplishments and impact. With your prayers and support, we will continue achieving our mission.

Honored to serve together,

Elly Chemey Executive Director Beit-CURE Children’s Hospital of Malawi

4 | Annual Report 2023

OVERVIEW FISCAL YEAR 2023

2,516

1,000

HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS TRAINED

417

990 total since inception

PEOPLE REACHED WITH THE GOSPEL

FY20

52,664

198,458 total since inception

FY21

FY22

procedures

1,50 0

1,935

2,000

admissions

2,145 1,684

66,444 total since inception

2,500

965

167,012 total since inception

16,485

3,000

893

8,345

DECISIONS FOR CHRIST

1,290

PATIENT VISITS

ADMISSIONS & PROCEDURES

1,211

KEY PROGRAM STATISTICS IN FY23

FY23

PEOPLE REACHED 60,000

SURGICAL PROCEDURES 2,516 IN FY23 30,876 since inception

50,000

52,664 38,963

40,000 30,000 20,000 10,000

84%

Orthopedic Surgeries

16%

10,526

12,480

FY20

FY21

FY22

FY23

CLINICAL TRAINEES

Plastic Surgeries 500 400

417

300

HOSPITAL SUMMARY

58 PATIENT BEDS

128 STAFF MEMBERS

3 OPERATING ROOMS

4 FULL-TIME SURGEONS

200

240 153

100

FY20

FY21

FY22

FY23

Annual Report 2023 | 5

OUR NETWORK

Davao City

PHILIPPINES

Beit-CURE Children’s Hospital of Malawi is part of CURE International, a Christian nonprofit organization that operates a global network of children’s hospitals pairing world-class surgical care and counseling to serve children living with treatable disabilities and their families.

Niamey

Addis Ababa

NIGER

ETHIOPIA

Mbale

Chitipa

UGANDA

Karonga

5

Kijabe

5

KENYA Lusaka

Blantyre

ZAMBIA

MALAWI

Bulawayo

ZIMBABWE Kasungu

10

Ntchisi 5

Dowa

6

60

Number of Mobile Clinics by Year

50

51

40 30

Ntcheu

11

42

Neno

30

20

Mwanza

10

MALAWI Beit-CURE Children’s Hospital of Malawi

5 4

51 Number of moble clinics total

FY21

FY22

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FY23

by district in FY23

BUILDING THE FUTURE Dr. Dorothy Brings Expertise to CURE Malawi

D

r. Dorothy Bbaale is a trailblazer.

The Ugandan-born doctor, who recently joined CURE Malawi, is only the fifth registered plastic surgeon in Malawi and one of the few females in a male-dominated field.

In a country of nearly 20 million, thousands of Malawian children suffer from treatable disabilities like clubfoot, cleft lip/palate, knock knees, bowed legs, and burn contractures.

Dr. Dorothy offers these vulnerable kids a new chance at life with plastic and reconstructive surgery services.

“The chance to heal children is the greatest joy of my life, and doing it here is a dream come true,” she says. “My heart has always been to help children in Africa.”

Dr. Dorothy brings hope to children like Mphatso. A burn on his right leg healed improperly and fused the skin on the back of his calf to his thigh, limiting his mobility and his future. Dr. Dorothy fixed the contracture with surgery, and Mphatso can now happily walk, run, and play with no issues.

Dr. Dorothy said she looks forward to helping more children like him.

“It’s such a blessing to be an instrument of God’s work.”

The continuous support of our generous partners and donors makes life-changing surgical care for patients like Mphatso possible.

The skin on little Mphatso’s right leg fused together after a burn, preventing him from walking. Life-changing surgery with Dr. Dorothy restored his mobility.

Dr. Dorothy is passionate about serving children with life-altering disabilities that leave them vulnerable to ridicule and abuse.

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HOPE IN THE FACE OF TRAGEDY

CURE Malawi Provides Urgent Medical Care to Flood Victims

C

yclone Freddy, one of the most powerful tropical storms to hit southern Malawi, made landfall on 12 March 2023. The flooding devastated the region and displaced more than 650,000 people.

According to the Malawi Department of Disaster Management, over 1,200 people lost their lives and more than 1,300 were injured.

Blantyre, the country’s second-largest city and home to CURE Malawi, was declared a “state of disaster.” CURE remained open and staff was safe, but many houses were damaged or lost. Staff worked overtime to maintain operations and safely transport employees and patients to and from their homes.

CURE PROVIDES MEDICAL CARE TO CHILDREN INJURED IN FLOODING With CURE Malawi located adjacent to several government healthcare facilities overrun with injuries and deaths, the hospital responded to the urgent need.

CURE provided surgical and ministry care to children injured in the floods in addition to the regular care we provide to children living with treatable disabilities.

First Lady Madame Monica Chakwera visited CURE to encourage patients and staff. “It is an honor to visit with the people who have given themselves to help those affected by Cyclone Freddy, especially children who have gone through heavy trauma. God bless you abundantly,” she said.

“CURE exists to provide medical care to the most vulnerable children,” said Elly Chemey, Executive Director of CURE Malawi. “I can think of no one more vulnerable right now than children injured in the flooding—children who lost homes, family members, and hope. The surgical and ministry teams at CURE Malawi, some of whom have lost homes and loved ones, are committed to serving these hurt children and helping prevent their injuries from becoming permanent disabilities.”

First Lady Monica Chakwera comforts Adriano, one of the children injured due to the cyclone. She made a donation of food items to cater to the victims’ needs during the traumatic period.

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Chimwemwe, CURE Malawi’s Spiritual Director, navigates floodwaters with a small team to deliver hot meals and clean water to a colleague affected by Cyclone Freddy.

Navigating floodwaters in Blantyre, Malawi.

Photo © UNICEF Malawi – 2023 – used with permission

HOPE AMID EXTREME TRAGEDY Viton, an eight-year-old boy, was among the first patients from the flood that CURE helped. He was pulled from the mud and rushed to a local hospital, where he learned he would need surgery to repair a broken femur.

The local hospital, overwhelmed by cases like Viton’s, could not perform the surgery. So he was transferred to CURE, and the skilled surgeons were able to offer the surgical treatment he desperately needed. CURE’s spiritual ministry team is also trained to provide the trauma counseling and support that children and families need after losing their homes and loved ones in a natural disaster.

Thanks to CURE Malawi’s world-class surgical and ministry care, Viton was soon back on two feet.

He told us, “If it were not for CURE, I do not know how I would have processed all the trauma I have faced. I do not know how best to express the joy inside my heart!” CURE Malawi treated 25 child victims in the immediate aftermath of Cyclone Freddy. The hospital doors remain open as our medical team continues to receive cases of children with complications due to injuries sustained in the flood.

Viton was rescued from a mudslide and brought to CURE Malawi to have surgery on his broken leg.

After Viton’s surgery at CURE Malawi, he is able to walk again.

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MINISTRY IMPACT Transformed: A Win for Winifore

A

seemingly simple infection can shatter a child’s dream and alter their future. This is what happened to Winifore, whose goal of one day representing his national football team was in danger of being cut short because of a condition that a local hospital close to his home could not handle.

Winifore developed an infection below his left knee at a young age. Doctors treated the visible signs of the infection, but it spread to his bones and eventually caused his left leg to bow inward and backward.

“

I COULD NOT WALK AND HAD TO DROP OUT OF SCHOOL. MY LIFE WAS PAINFUL AND HOPELESS.” ­- ­­­­Winifore

As Winifore watched his friends on the playground and football pitch, he saw his dream slowly fade. He couldn’t run. Even worse were his deteriorating relationships with the other kids, who discriminated against him.

“They said I couldn’t play with them.

They said I was disabled. My heart was filled with rejection,” shares Winifore, his eyes downcast. “The other kids laughed at me.”

Winifore’s left leg gradually bowed outward due to a complication after an infection.

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When Winifore’s leg was in a frame after surgery, he feared he would never walk or return to school again - let alone play football.

CURE MALAWI OFFERS HOPE Thankfully, Winifore visited a CFAO / Toyota Malawisupported mobile clinic in his village in Northern Malawi, where CURE doctors shared the good news that his bowed leg was correctable with surgery. The bad news was that Winifore could not afford the long trip to CURE, located in Blantyre in the southern part of Malawi.

Filled with hope and faith that Winifore’s disability could be treated, his family was forced to use desperate measures to facilitate the trip. “We sat down as a family and decided to sell our cow just so I could afford to travel to Blantyre to get treated at CURE,” reveals Winifore.

In August, CURE Malawi sponsored Winifore’s trip back to Blantyre so he could share his testimony at our first-annual fundraising dinner. “I hope to become a doctor one day to help those kids struggling like I was before CURE came in,” he said. “Of course, my passion is football, and my childhood dream has always been to become a goalkeeper for the Flames.”

Malawi’s academic year starts in September, and Winifore is now back in school. After life-changing surgery at CURE, Winifore now looks forward to a future full of choices and possibilities.

Winifore (left) with his uncle (right) just before returning home after completing his rehabilitation.

“I know my life will never be the same. I will be able to do a lot that was impossible to achieve before. Things like going back to school with peace and joy in my heart!” shared Winifore before being taken into the operating room for his surgery.

WINIFORE’S HEALING JOURNEY Accompanied by his uncle, Winifore arrived for treatment at CURE Malawi and began the long, grueling, and complicated treatment and rehabilitation process. It is a period when doubt, anxiety, and even fear can infiltrate a patient’s mind. Winifore was no exception.

“When I was taken to the ward and saw another child’s leg in a frame, I was shocked and frightened,” he remembers. “It was something I had never seen before.”

But Winifore worked through his fear with the help of CURE’s compassionate staff. “After surgery and seeing my leg in a frame, I asked the doctor if I would be able to return to school or play football again. He eased my fears by assuring me that I would be able to excel at both.

This gave me a new sense of hope!”

By God’s grace, through the tireless and dedicated work of CURE’s medical personnel, Winifore gradually healed, completed his rehabilitation, and returned home.

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Beit-CURE Children’s Hospital of Malawi

FY23 FINANCIAL SUMMARY

INC

ME O INCOME

EXPENSE

INCOME TYPE

%

MK

Contributions

72%

2,017,581,326

Patient Revenue

6%

166,043,370

Other Ordinary Revenue

7%

194,966,717

Other Revenue

2%

43,548,623

Exchange Gain/Loss

13%

374,667,850

Total Income

MK 2,796,837,886

EXPENSE TYPE

%

MK

Patient Assistance Expenses

.1%

2,897,500

Supplies Expenses

29%

642,376,988

Payroll-Related Expenses

41.6%

915,584,934

Utilities Expenses

4.6%

100,579,920

Operating Expenses

24.4%

537,101,786

Total Expenses

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MK 2,198,541,129

BOARD OF TRUSTEES John McGrath Chairperson Elly Chemey Secretary & Member Alfred Mumba Legal Advisor & Member Earnest Kioko Member Peter Kyalo Vice Chair & Member Dr. Chris Lavy Member

LEADERSHIP MANAGEMENT TEAM Elly Chemey Executive Director

Susan Kampeni Nursing Service Director

Chimwemwe Chimbatata Spiritual Director

Davie Simengwa Programs & Development Director

Dr. Samuel Maina Medical Director

Emmanuel Mwenebabu Facilities Director

Ezekiel Milelu Finance & Administration Director

Andrew Makwinja Quality & Patient Safety Director

Tandulenji Zimba People & Culture Director

Prof. Nyengo Mkandawire Member

CURE Malawi staff gathered in front of the hospital.

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PARTNERSHIPS

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JOIN US REFER A CHILD If you know of a child who could benefit from the services offered

by CURE Malawi, please contact us or bring the child to our clinic during planned hours. Our contact information and clinic hours are listed on the back cover.

GIVE All medical care is provided through the generous contributions of CURE donors, our nonprofit partners, and insurance programs. Children will be treated by our clinical team without charge or debt created. Please let us know if you are interested in sponsoring a child’s surgery.

PRAY We believe that God alone is the source of changed lives and transformed communities. Please join us in asking for God’s healing for the children we serve.

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Address Chipatala Avenue Blantyre, Malawi Phone +265 883 186 162 Email info@curemalawi.org Website malawi.cure.org Socials @curemalawi facebook.com/curemalawi 16 | Annual Report 2023