25 days of Giving

Dear Readers,

Last week, Jericho Road launched a 25 days of giving campaign for our Global Health Outreach program in Sierra Leone. We are hoping to raise 10K for a clean water business project. This business venture will not only further the sustainability of Adama Martha Memorial Community Health Center, but will also provide clean drinking water for the Kono community.

Please click here to learn more about this project and to give online.

Thank you and Happy Holidays.

The Global Health Outreach Team.

AMMCHC

The Work Continues

Dear readers,

The Jericho Road team has returned safely from a three week medical mission trip to Sierra Leone working in the Adama Martha Memorial Community Health Center (AMMCHC). It was a blessed and productive time. We were able to provide maternal health training, nursing care training, and other basic training to the motivated AMMCHC staff. They are already doing great work there, seeing around 80 patient's per day. 

We also helped restart the village outreach to three of our target villages. The villages we visited were Tombodu, Kangama, and Tefaya. The need for basic medical care in these rural places in Kono is great. This was the first time we visited the villages in over a year due to the Ebola crisis. The roads were tough and the days were long but we knew it was where God wanted us. 

Despite what the people of Sierra Leone have been through over the past year, they were welcoming and friendly. They received our help with open arms and embraced us as one of them. We went with the mindset to serve in any way possible (and we did) but we also were served by them. Our purpose was to teach but they taught us as well. We gave them our best and they didn't hold back in giving to us. It was seamless and pure the way we all worked together. This reminded us about the beauty of the body of Christ working together to serve, edify and give to one another. 

There is a lot that needs to be done still in regards to teaching and training. We are committed to investing in the staff at AMMCHC and to bringing the best medical care possible to this area of Sierra Leone. In doing so, we are providing hope and being the hands and feet of Jesus where it is needed most.

Thank you for reading.

The Global Health Team

The AMMCHC Staff

Outside Patient Waiting Area

The Jericho Road Team

The Need Grows

In August we completed our 7th month of operation at Adama Martha Memorial Community Health Center (AMMCHC). There is a dedicated medical team working very hard to provide medical care for the Kono district community in Sierra Leone. Word continues to spread about the quality of care provided at the health center and so more and more people are traveling from all over Kono to receive medical help. This says a lot about the compassionate and competent staff that is working to provide this type of care.

The month of August was very busy as 1,480 patient's were seen for various general illnesses ranging from chronic to acute conditions. A total of 34 patient's received a hernia repair operation at the local Koidu Government Hospital and underwent post-operative care at AMMCHC. There are 23 people on the hernia repair waiting list. There were five successful deliveries in the maternity ward at AMMCHC. Two were healthy baby boys and 3 were healthy baby girls. We are grateful.

There is a team of six people going over from Jericho Road in October to help see patients, train staff, network, and provide encouragement to the local medical team. The collaboration continues to deepen and thrive as we work together to be the hands and feet of Jesus to that community. If you would like to support us financially in order to help offset some of the cost, please go to our website and give towards: Sierra Leone Oct Trip (other box). All donations will receive a tax receipt.

Please join us in praying for a medical doctor to join AMMCHC, the protection and success of the team going in October, strength for the local medical team as they work, and for the country of Sierra Leone especially the Kono district to be healthy and whole.

Vaccine Fridge and Other News

We were able to secure funding for a much needed vaccination refrigerator for Adama Martha Memorial Community Health Center. Thank you to all who gave in this way! Having this refrigerator will literally help us save lives in Kono.

The Sierra Leone Ministry of Health does distribute and administer vaccinations to children however keeping the vaccines cold so they don't expire or go bad is a constant challenge. Getting out to the rural areas of Sierra Leone like the Kono district is also a challenge and a barrier to health. Now that we have a way to keep the vaccines cold, we will be able to keep a stock at our medical center and administer them to our pediatric patients. Diseases like measles and polio take lives (often young ones) all to often in a place like Sierra Leone due to poor sanitation and a lack of health services. Vaccines do keep children and communities healthy so we are very grateful to have this opportunity at our medical center.

In other news, we've purchased our second vehicle with a recent grant that we received. This vehicle will help us restart our village outreach to five surrounding villages. This outreach had been put on hold due to the Ebola crisis and we've been eager to restart this for the past two months. The village outreach is essentially going into each village and holding a day long medical clinic once a month. In addition, we meet with village leaders in order to help gain a better understanding about the health and non-health needs of each village. We are also looking to train a few community health workers in each village so that they can attend to the medical needs of their fellow villagers in our absence as well as be the medical liaisons for their village and our medical center in Kono.

AMMCHC Solar Powered Vaccine Fridge

Dear supporters,

We are looking to purchase a solar powered vaccine fridge so that we can start vaccinating at our medical clinic. We are in need of $5000 to purchase this type of fridge. Please go to this link to help us raise the funds needed to purchase this much needed piece of equipment.

Thank you and God Bless,

The Global Health Outreach Committee

Ebola Orphan Program

The Sierra Leone Alliance Ebola Orphan Program has helped a total of 644 children across Sierra Leone get back into school!

Schools were closed for the better part of a year as the country of Sierra Leone fought to end the Ebola crisis. The reason for this closure was to prevent the spread of Ebola since children travel to school on foot and are often in over crowded classrooms. In May of 2015, schools reopened as the Ebola crisis simmered down and each week there was a decrease in the number of new cases.

Children orphaned due to Ebola are in a difficult spot because not only do they have the distinction as being orphaned due to Ebola but they are taken in by extended family members who often are barely getting by. These children are especially vulnerable because they would be the first to be denied the opportunity for schooling or would be forced to work instead of attending school or worse.

Jericho Road has helped 116 children in the Kono district spanning across five Chiefdom's. The beneficiaries of this program were 90 primary aged children, 17 junior secondary students, 3 senior secondary students, and six high grade students. The program assisted with school uniforms including socks and shoes, exercise books, pens, pencils, mathematical sets, school bags, dried vegetable food, used clothing, and financial support to high grade students.

Two young children in their school uniforms

Program Beneficiaries raising their hands proudly

Please keep the people of Sierra Leone in your prayers as the country still needs them. There is a lot of post-Ebola work to be done and in three districts new cases of Ebola are still popping up. Jericho Road is still raising money for our work in Sierra Leone. If you feel led to give, please click here to give via our website. Thank you.

The Food Program Transition

In June, the Sierra Leone Alliance Food Program transitioned into an Ebola Orphan Program that is now helping Ebola Orphans get back into school. With the Ebola outbreak nearing an end and with schools reopening for children, this transition seemed appropriate. Often times children are not able to attend school because they can not afford to pay the school fees or buy a school uniform. This problem is worse with orphans especially those whose parent's died during the Ebola outbreak. Below is a written picture of what this program is doing in Kono and the impact it is making. It is written by one of our staff RN's leading Clinical Operations at Adama Martha Memorial Health Center.

Today I had the privilege of going out with our field workers as they distributed school packages, and food items to children who were orphaned as a results of the current Ebola outbreak. Initially I couldn't help but smile as I played with and joked with the kids in front of me. My sobering moment came a few minutes later as it suddenly hit me that each of these children had been orphaned only within the last 6-9 months.

Many of us worry about the future of these kids. The realities of poverty are such that these children are prime candidates for exploitation. Most are currently being cared for by extended family members, but the reality is these kids are the most likely to be pulled from school and be forced to work for their host families or worse. Over the coming months our field workers are tasked with the job of continued follow up of these children ensuring that they stay in school and ensuring that they have the supplies they need to succeed. 

Sierra Leoneans enjoy speeches, formality, and celebrations. Our field workers worked hard to make sure that this happened today. A large sound system was rented, dignitaries were invited, a program was outlined, and speeches were planned. Right before the program started I was approached and asked to give the keynote address. Thankfully, I had five minutes to prepare. 

In my speech, I attempted to encouraged those present that there were people that they had never met who were praying for them on the other side of the world. That these people loved them and considered them to be their brothers and sisters. I shared that these people were motivated by the love of Jesus and that the school supplies and food items were merely a token of that love.

As we were packing up to leave a small commotion occurred and a few tears were shed as a few Ebola orphans came forward hoping for a package, but whose names hadn't been included on the list. Our field workers had spent a lot of time prior to the event tracing names and identifying the gift recipients. Thankfully we had extra packages that can be distributed on the next trip. Unfortunately such incidents of discovering previously undocumented orphans clearly illustrate that the true scope of the problem is very difficult to gauge.

We loaded our sound system back into the truck, and as we were pulling out a young boy approached the sound man begging him to return and play music as soon as Ebola is declared over. Part ways home as we passed through a small village, a young girl who couldn't have been more than 3 years of age came running towards the truck screaming with excitement. My friends in the truck quickly explained that the sight of the sound system had set her off. For the past year, or in reality a third of this young girls life, gatherings and loud music have essentially been illegal.

I pray that Ebola ends soon. There are far too many people with the dance still stuck inside. One day soon I hope and pray that the entire country can truly celebrate, and that the tears can somehow turn to dancing. In the meantime though we're thankful for our alliance partners and the smaller celebrations made possible by their support for those most tragically affected by this horrible disease.

Karlin.

Preparing to load the truck with backpacks filled with school supplies

EBV Orphans and recipients of the backpacks

Hernia Patients and Ultrasound

Currently, we have two medical providers from Jericho Road Community Health Center in Sierra Leone helping to provide medical care at our newly opened health center. The Adama Martha Memorial Community Health Center has been open for over four months providing much needed primary and urgent health care to the Kono District of Sierra Leone. It's been a busy four months as our Sierra Leone based team has been seeing over 100 patients per day, including delivering a few babies and restarting the hernia repair program.

Our two medical providers on the ground there now are in awe of the work being done and have jumped right in to help. Rebecca Beardsley, a Family Nurse Practitioner and Nurse Midwife, has been helping primarily with prenatal / OB care and sonogram training. She's leaving behind a 'step-by-step OB Ultrasound Manual' for dating and fetal heart rate that she developed. Paul Violanti, a Family and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, has been helping the CHO's see patients with all sorts of medical conditions. He observes that our health clinic has already become a 'fixture in the health delivery system in the Kono District.' What we have been able to accomplish there is truly remarkable.

Below is one of Rebecca's emails that she wrote on June 6, 2015.

The day began at the clinic with starting IV's on patients going for hernia surgeries at the government hospital later today. I started 2 IV's this morning on patients about to go for hernia surgery. Both were young men who had hernias most likely from due to hard manual labor and heavy lifting constantly. One of the 5 patients was a small child. All 5 patients go for hernia repair surgery today and then return for post op care at our clinic.

Paul and Karlin starting an IV on the youngest hernia patient

After the morning meeting with singing, prayer, and a message on how our thoughts/perspective affect our actions: the 2 CHO's performed 2 circumcisions (one on a newborn and one on a child about 4 years old). There was more assessing of how things are going and what is needed.

I rode on our ambulance with a hernia patient to the government hospital. When you get to the hospital, everyone has to get out of the ambulance and wash hands with chlorine solution and get temperature taken due to Ebola precautions. We dropped one patient off and picked up the other to go back to clinic for monitoring. 

Using our ambulance to transport patients

The Operating Room at Koidu Government Hospital

Upon returning to the clinic there were 2 pregnant patients waiting for Ultrasound. Phebian and Michael (CHO) went in with me to learn how to date a pregnancy. We had one 21 weeker and one 29 weeker. I am still learning as I am teaching so it is challenging for all of us but we are making progress.

Later in the day, Paul and I had some time with the 2 CHO's, Michael and Augustine, as well as the Nurse Fatmate, and the Pharmacist Pastor Samuel. We reviewed Helping Babies Breath/basic resusitation of a newborn baby. They did some hands on training with the ambu bag and bulb syringe and we talked through different scenarios. Then Paul taught on some different diseases and the use of different antibiotics. We also had some good discussion on how things are here in Sierra Leone versus the States.

The hernia patients will stay here tonight and for about 5 days for recovery/antibiotics and to ensure no complications before they can go home. No patients tomorrow, but I'm sure there will be much to do. 

Much Love from Sierra Leone,

Rebecca.

Thank you for your prayers and support of our medical mission project!

Exciting Week At AMMCHC!

This past week was an exciting week for AMMCHC in Sierra Leone. The health center has been in operation for 11 weeks now. Here are some of the highlights:

- There were 364 outpatients registered in 5 and a half days.

- There are 2,200 total people registered in the database.

- There were two deliveries by the Maternity Team and three elective circumcisions by the CHO's.

- The hernia repair project has restarted with it's first patients: 3 adults and 1 child.

- Our neighbors at the blind school enjoyed some rice donated from the SLA Food Program.

- Christopher was hired to help with administrative duties.

Blind School Children

Karlin, RN with the new administrative assistant, Christopher

Hernia Repair Program Restarted

Hernia's are a common occurrence among men, women, and children in the Kono district of Sierra Leone. They often cause people to miss work and school. Before Ebola, we were able to assist with over 100 hernia repairs offering assistance in transportation, medication, hospital fees, and recovery. We had to put this program on hold for the past year as Ebola spread throughout Sierra Leone. Now that the Ebola crisis is coming to an end and there have been 0 Ebola cases in our district for over 70 days, we've decided to restart our hernia repair program.

Our medical outreach to the 5 villages surrounding our medical clinic is where we are primarily targeting this program. The need is great due to the mining and farming that is done in Kono. Here are some pictures of our most recent hernia patients awaiting their surgeries in our inpatient wing of the Adama Martha Memorial Community Health Center. Just $75 can assist in one hernia repair. Click here to give.

One More Year!

Dear Supporters,

The 3rd Annual Sierra Leone Gala was a huge success! We had over 440 people in attendance and raised over $140,000 to help fund the Adama Martha Memorial Community Health Center for one more year. 

We are incredibly thankful to everyone who came out to hear about and support our mission in Sierra Leone. It's very fulfilling to see people take a genuine interest in our mission and to come to our gala fundraiser. God stirred in peoples hearts to give of their finances which is such a blessing to this mission! Without the money, we would not be able to continue our work in Sierra Leone. Thank you!

Kuddos to the Sierra Leone Gala Committee who really went above and beyond themselves to make this a fun, meaningful, and successful event. It takes a dedicated team to pull something likes this off. We had a wonderful crew of volunteers who helped the night of the event as well which helped in the events success. You are all appreciated!

Overall, we are pleased with the outcome and know that God will continue to provide us with what we need, when we need it. Without faith, works are nothing and so we thank God for allowing us the faith to continue on with this mission.

We are still collecting donations, so if you haven't given and would like to, please click here. Also, we have the video presentation of our operational medical clinic that debuted at the gala fundraiser. This video is courtesy of Hans Glick, a photo journalist, who went to Sierra Leone in February of 2015 with one of our medical teams. We are grateful for his hard work and dedication to this mission!

Words can not express our gratitude to all the faith and financial supporters.

Thank you and God Bless.

Global Health Outreach

Time To Celebrate

The time to formally celebrate all that God has provided for the medical mission in Sierra Leone is almost here. On Friday, April 17, 2015, Jericho Road will be hosting the third annual Sierra Leone Gala. This Gala will be unique in that it will be a celebration of the opening and operation of the Adama Martha Memorial Health Center.

If you are unable to attend but would like to make a monetary donation, please do so by clicking here. We are continuing to expand our team in Sierra Leone and so your donation will help support them. Your prayers are also greatly appreciated as we provide holistic healthcare and show the love of Jesus to one of the most needy and health deprived areas of the world.

Phebian, RN in the front office of the health center

One of our two CHO's taking a BP on a patient

Pharmacy team stocking medications

Check out our gala video preview!

This year at the "Her Vision, Our Mission" gala, we will be presenting a short documentary video on our now operational health center in Sierra Leone. Today, we released a short teaser! Check it out below.

If you haven't purchased your tickets yet, you may still do so here.  We look forward to seeing you there! 

Join us for the 3rd Annual Sierra Leone Gala on April 17, 2015!!

Dear Supporters,

The Health Center in Sierra Leone has been open for over a month and is seeing between 40-50 patients per day! 

Sierra Leone Health Care Team Photo

Please join us for the 3rd Annual Sierra Leone Gala on Friday, April 17 at The Adams Mark Hotel. It is because of your ongoing support that will make our clinic in Sierra Leone sustainable.

There will be a gift basket raffle, photo booth, food, music, presentation, and an original, never-seen-before video presentation that will 'take you to our health center in Sierra Leone.'

Tickets are on sale on our website at Jericho until April 7th. The cost is $500 per table of 8 OR $75 per person. Go online and order today!


Thank you,
Global Health Outreach

Another Healthy Baby is Born

The Adama Martha Memorial Community Health Center has been doing great work since opening last month. They have averaged 40-50 patients per day and the team is working very well together. The nurse midwife delivered a healthy baby girl this morning. Please see this picture below of the maternity team, healthy mom and baby.

Announcing Our Sierra Leone Gala! And a New Video!

For the past several years Jericho Road has sponsored a gala each spring to support our mission in Sierra Leone. We are pleased to announce that this year's gala will take place on April 17 at 6 pm at the Adam's Mark Hotel. We are looking forward to this night of good food and good company, where we will celebrate what we have achieved this year to bring medical care to the people of Sierra Leone--notably, the opening of the Adama Martha Memorial Community Health Center--and our hopes for the next. Please join us!

For more information about the gala and to purchase tickets, check out our webpage here.

We are also excited to release a new video starring our fearless Phebian Abdulai. This video was created by Hans Glick and features Phebian's moving life journey. Check it out below!

Hans will also be creating more videos featuring the Adama Martha Health Center, to be debuted at the "Her Vision, Our Mission" gala, so stay tuned! 

Sierra Leone Alliance Food Program: February 2015 Report

In the month of February, the Sierra Leone Alliance faithfully provided much-needed food to over 1,572 quarantined individuals (283 households) in the Ebola-stricken country. While Ebola continues to remain widespread in Sierra Leone, there are indications that the disease may be in retreat. At the end of the week of February 22, there were 63 new diagnosed cases in the country. This is 63 cases too many, but compared to the figures earlier this year, it appears that there is real hope that Sierra Leone will be Ebola-free by late spring. 

We are cautiously optimistic, but while these trends hold, the Sierra Leone Alliance has determined that it will continue the food program at least until the end of May. By May we will reassess if the food program is still needed. We hope it will not be, and that our brothers and sisters in Sierra Leone can start embarking towards long-term recovery after suffering the devastating effects of this terrible disease for nearly a year. 

Meanwhile, we will continue to serve Sierra Leone this way during this epidemic, through the provision of food, by the grace of God. 

As Dr. Myron Glick wrote in a recent email to many of you, our supporters, "God bless the members of each organization who are working on the ground in Sierra Leone to carry out this program. They are being the 'hands and feet' of Jesus to some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world. May God be with each one and their families and encourage them in this work.

And thank you to each person who has contributed to this Food Program since October [of] 2014. Together we have made a tangible and real difference in Sierra Leone."

Opening Ceremony 2/21/15

VOTE OF THANKS

Dearest Ladies, Gentlemen, Brothers, Sisters, Friends & Honorable Guests. Good Afternoon!

On behalf of Jericho Road Community Health Center in Buffalo, NY, it is a privilege and an honor to share this moment with you today. The opening of Adama Martha Memorial Community Health Center marks the culmination of tireless efforts by many whom have come before me, and a new beginning for the people who live here in Kono. It has been the dream of several visionaries to make this a reality. Phebian is our sister from Buffalo who is here to carry the flag.

I would be so wrong if I mentioned only a few names within this speech, as this effort is so much more than that. The dedication of the team in Buffalo that has helped make this happen is beyond words. It was Phebian's dream, but we made it our mission. Numerous people on the team have given generously of their time, effort, and money for this project. The support is immense. And I want each and every one of you to know that the Jericho Road family is 200 strong and is here for you until the end. And guess what, this is only the beginning. 

On the ground here in Sierra Leone, we have had many dedicated patrons. Several of you are here today. As the saying goes, "Rome was not built in a day." This place did not build itself. The success today was not without hurdles. Most of you know of the many obstacles that we faced, and what strength it took to overcome them. The bricks were not laid by the faint of heart. It took passion, love, determination, and a true pioneer to be a part of this process. and for that I am very thankful to each one of you today.

I love to tell stories and in closing, I am going to share one with you today. This is the story of the Good Samaritan. According to the Gospel of Luke (10:29-37), a traveler (who may or may not have been a Jew) is stripped of clothing, beaten, and left half dead along the side of the road. First a Priest and then a Levite come by, but both avoid the man. Finally, a Samaritan comes by. Samaritans and Jews generally despised each other, but the Samaritan helps the injured man. Jesus is described as telling the parable in response to the question regarding the identity of the "neighbor" who should be loved. In the Bible, these events are described as taking place none other than on Jericho Road. 

When Dr. Myron Glick started Jericho Road Family Practice in Buffalo about 18 years ago, he took this concept of 'loving your neighbor' seriously. This has been the philosophy on which we operate, to serve the least of the least, the marginalized and the most needy. To us at Jericho Road, you the people of Kono district, are our neighbors, and we are here to love you. 

Thank you to each and every one of you. Have a blessed day. 

Speech written and given by Dr. Rohith Saravanan at the Grand Opening Ceremony on 2/21/15.

Stories from Week One of Providing Healthcare in Kono

"Clinic ran smoothly as usual. We actually saw around 29 patients today, including the 3 in the fever tent. That was the main attraction today. There was some drama involved, but none of the cases met case definitions for Ebola. So, we didn't have to send anyone away. All received treatment and left feeling happy. We closed at 3 pm as planned. Staff are all in good spirit. The prayers during open and close is a very nice touch and really helps boost morale."

Dr. Rohith Saravanan (2/18/15)

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"We had a great day today - we saw 27 patients. They started queuing up early - 7:30 am when we open at 9! A few patients had fevers and had to be seen in the fever tent by team members in full personal protective equipment - a little disconcerting for the patients in a time of Ebola, but none actually had it - phew! Putting on and taking off the PPE is quite a lengthy process and so the providers seeing patients were a bit delayed by it. It caused a bit of a wait for patients and lead Sahr Albert to declare at the end of the day at our closing staff meeting - "we need another doctor!" Sahr Albert is one of the volunteer reception team members and has really taken the job seriously - a great customer focused attitude." 

Brett Lawton (2/19/15)
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"I had some fun filming two painters as they added the Jericho Road logo to the front of the clinic alongside the name of the clinic, which had been painted previously. The guys were incredibly skilled and painstakingly detail-oriented: lacking a protractor or compass with which to create a stencil for the circular logo, they made do with a ruler and a keen eye (and did a better job of it than I would have even with the proper tools). The resulting logo was icing on the cake - a symbolic stamp of approval on a clinic five-plus years in the making."

Hans Glick (2/18/15)

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Reflections from our team

Right now we have a Jericho Road team of three people over in Sierra Leone assisting the Sierra Leone based team that includes Phebian, Karlin, and Pastor Joshua in getting the health center operational. The Jericho Road team includes Rohith Saravanan, a family practice physician whose presence has greatly helped solidify the final details of the screening process and layout. He's been able to teach the staff the process of putting on and taking off PPE. The second team member is Brett Lawton who directs clinical operations at Jericho Road in Buffalo. His presence has been helpful in setting up medical records and other systems within the clinic. The third team member is Hans Glick who is a videographer and has been working to really capture the story of the medical clinic and bring that story back to Buffalo. Here are some of their reflections on experiencing the opening of the clinic for patient care on 2/16/15.

________________________________________________________________________

"We started our day with a group huddle and ended the same way. There was good energy in the air. The clinic is breezy in the hallways, and hot inside the room behind closed doors. The staff cleaned up after themselves, and took some ownership of the responsibility given.

The mix of patients ranged from pediatric to prenatal to geriatric. The mix of medical conditions were from acute infections, to suture removal, to chronic medical conditions. The medications dispensed were from ampicillin to ibuprofen to a wrist splint.

The patients were thankful for the care. Some were able to pay the full charge, and some only paid partial amounts. Kids under 5 receive free care. Prenatal patients receive free care, because the charge comes at the time of delivery. All staff receive free care.

It was a rewarding experience to be a part of. I lift today's accomplishment to each one of you. Your support, your prayers, and your faith in this mission made this possible. And this is only the beginning. Bravo and Cheers!"

Dr. Rohith Saravanan
________________________________________________________________________

"Today we saw our first 22 patients! God was gracious to make it not an overwhelming day and everyone performed amazingly well! Our team members are such quick learners and so eager to learn new things. The reception team already started operating like a well oiled machine. All our new patients have been added to our Excel spreadsheet for future reference. The pharmacy team already has a good system down!

This day deserves some credit and kudos to the predecessors who've traveled to Kono the past five years. It is built on their valiant efforts, especially Phebian, who heard God's call to leave behind her life in the US to come here for this purpose. For Dr. Glick, who continued to push us to do this and move forward with our plans for opening now in spite of the Ebola crisis. For the teams that have come and met with community leaders and started providing care and giving Jericho Road a good name. For the donors and fundraising efforts to build this beautiful facility and provide staff to handle the load of patients. We are truly blessed to be here to witness this amazing event. God is so good!"

Brett Lawton
________________________________________________________________________

"Day one of the Adama Martha Memorial Community Health Center is officially in the books! It was a cool thing to be a part of. A total of 22 patients came through the doors, and from what I could see, things seemed to run remarkable smoothly for the first day. Granted, we didn't exactly encounter the open-the-floodgates moment I was half-expecting, but the smaller number of patients gave the staff time to settle into their roles. 

I want to extend a quick word of congratulations to everyone who had a hand in making this clinic possible. To have achieved such a tangible, impactful result despite countless challenges is a testament to the faith, courage, and determination motivating this project from the beginning." 

Hans Glick
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"Yesterday we had our general orientation for all the staff. The room was full. I tried to do a quick count on the numbers in the room and I think there were close to 30 people (many of them young volunteers). There were some emotional moments as we reflected on the process of getting to this point and looking forward. This calling from the Lord has been burning in Phebian's heart for years. After moving to the US as a refugee as a result of Sierra Leone's civil war she felt a strong compulsion to return and help her people. Tomorrow's events will be the culmination of years of work, planning, preparation. I've been blessed to join this work rather late in the game."

Karlin Bacher, RN
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The Adama Martha Memorial Community Health Center Team after Day #1

Today is a new day for Kono!

Today the Adama Martha Memorial Community Health Center was opened for it's first patients!

A total of 22 patients were seen today. Here are a few pictures of our very first patients seen in our brand new clinic!

Despite significant logistical challenges, fierce opposition at times, and an unprecedented Ebola epidemic, the clinic has opened against all odds because God has been faithful, Phebian has shown incredible courage and leadership, and so many people in both Buffalo and Kono have invested so much to make this clinic become a reality.

So today is a time to celebrate and to be thankful. Ebola has not had the last word.

Here are a few pictures from today and of our Sierra Leone Staff.

Our CHO seeing patients.

Dr. Saravanan seeing a patient.

Our fearless leader, Phebian.

The Sierra Leone and visiting Buffalo Staff.

The Pharmacy.

Screening.

Reception.

Triage.

Thank you to all who have been on this journey with us! The journey is far from over so we will press on with grace, peace, and perseverance. Continue to keep the people of Kono, Phebian, our team, and our clinic in your prayers.

SLA Food Program January 2015 Update

An update from Dr. Glick on the Sierra Leone Alliance Food Program (January 2015).

As I write this report this evening it is snowing in Buffalo and daytime in Sierra Leone. There is good news in Sierra Leone as the number of Ebola cases are decreasing. However, the need is still great and our teams are doing amazing work in feeding so many people in quarantined homes across the country. 

For January 2015: 
The number of households fed was 353. 
The number of individuals fed was 1,931.

Thank you to so many who are giving financially to support this program. Your generosity is making a real difference. We intend to continue this program until Ebola is a distant memory and until the country of Sierra Leone is no longer in crisis. Please continue to support this program financially and with your prayers.

Thank you to the faithful members of the teams in Sierra Leone. May God Bless you for your daily sacrifice. And May God Protect each one of you and your families.

Please watch and share this video on the Sierra Leone Alliance Food Program.

Food support to quarantined home.

Training our Sierra Leone Staff

The Adama Martha Memorial Community Health Center is scheduled to open it's doors for patient care on February 16, 2015! This has been a 5 year journey and a long awaited day! We praise the Lord for his faithfulness to our mission in Sierra Leone.

Phebian and Karlin have been working hard to get our health center operational. One of the tasks is to train the 15 person staff that we have hired. Here are some of the staff we've hired: a medical doctor, a community health officer, 3 nurses, 2 medical assistants, 2 security guards, a cook, a grounds keeper, a house keeper, and 3 community health workers. The health professionals in particular the nurses, medical assistants and community health workers have undergone daily staff training for the past week. We have a few pictures to document the process.

A group of medical staff training.

Attentive students inside the classroom in our health center.

Learning how to read a malaria test.

The community health officer teaches a lecture.

The community health workers learn how to take a blood pressure.

A Miraculous Day

An update from Karlin (RN) who is currently on the ground in Sierra Leone with Phebian.


After much work and political wrangling Phebian cleared the container from the Freetown Port.

The truck drove through the night arriving in Koidu at 5am this morning. I hadn't realized it was coming this morning. I heard a lot of action outside, but it being Saturday morning I took my time getting outside.

What an incredible surprise to see the container, and to see it well on it's way to being uploaded. The storeroom under the mission house now has full shelves.

I had begun to have a certain level of stress as I contemplated the challenge of safely opening our clinic without all of these supplies. God knew though, and he cleared the container right on time.

What a neat privilege to be part of the loading process in Buffalo with the sourcing and packing of supplies, and now to be on the ground when it arrives. So many people have been part of this process from start to finish.

Thankful for each one!

Sincerely,
Karlin

Unloading the container.

This is how things are carried in Sierra Leone.

The storage shelving in full!

The truck outside our clinic.

Unloading an exam table.

The driver - he gets a lot of credit for driving on Sierra Leonean roads at night!