Category: News

“I’M LEAVING WITH CUAMM!” FROM ITALY TO SIERRA LEONE

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

Giulia Bellone is 25 years old, she comes from Busca, in the province of Cuneo in Italy, and has just returned from Pujehun, a small village in the south of Sierra Leone, where she did Universal Civil Service as a pediatric nurse. In her story, the unforgettable experience she had with mothers and children in the pediatric section of the emergency ward, in the malnutrition unit and in the neonatal intensive care section.

Thanks to a previous volunteer experience in Senegal, Giulia was studying at university with the goal of returning to Africa; so when a job opportunity arose at Regina Margherita hospital in Turin, she had no doubts, “Thanks, but I’m leaving with Cuamm!”.

«I arrived in Sierra Leone on July 7, 2021, where I spent 10 days in Freetown to dive into the reality of the country. Then, I moved to the village of Pujehun. And from there the adventure began! The coordination role of the project manager Adrien, a gynecological physician-surgeon, was fundamental: he was an important point of reference; as well as Alessandra, a pediatric surgeon, an experienced and determined specialist, who taught me a lot: she made me aware of the complex reality around me».

A profession of passion

«I had the most intense experience of my life. Finally, I found that happiness that allowed me to appreciate myself, and consequently the capacity to work better. I call it passion. I built friendly relationships inside the hospital, in the compound and outside, so also in the community, and I found a home, a family. I felt accepted despite being white in the Mende tribe, thus representing a minority.

In the work field, CUAMM really works with Africa. For a time, inside the hospital, there were only three of us from CUAMM staff: me, Adrien and Alessandra. Three in the whole hospital. If this is not being with Africa, then what is? I left Italy with the idea of growing professionally and humanely in totally different  place, learning from those who would take me in, being able to contribute as much as possible. There I realized that we don’t save life, we support it. When we succeed, we are very happy!».

The condition of children

«In Africa, the condition of children is still difficult. A slight change of mindset is now starting so as to be able to guarantee better awareness and care of newborn and children. Women can have up to 19 deliveries. Raising many children while earning less than one euro a day is a feat. Therefore the mortality rate remains high, diseases are easily caught, those living in the villages do not always have clean water, they do not cover themselves, they do not eat. I felt that in Africa a child is seen as a future help to the family. However, it is difficult to carry on the well-being of the little ones. I used to look after children up to the age of five, but the mortality rate in the first twenty-four hours after birth is very high. Often, mothers try to treat them at home with traditional herbs, then since they have no money to pay for transport, when they find an ambulance that stops, they get in, but it is too late».

The engagement in Italy

«In Busca, my home village in Italy, together with my fellow citizens I organised a fundraising event for the Pujehun hospital that was very well attended. I am proud of my village for the way it decided to commit itself. With the donations, we sent equipment to Pujehun, even before I finished my civil service. This is a great satisfaction for me. So I can witness that donating really does good! I already have some plans for the future. Stay tuned!».

A SUCCESS STORY FROM SHYNIANGA

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

In Shynianga region, Tanzania, the vaccination campaign is thriving. In just a few months, from February to April, in Shynianga DC the vaccination coverage has gone from 4% to 45% for a total of 72.702 people vaccinated against Covid-19, in a target population of 305.522. A big success if we consider that, in according to the OMS data, the country average stands at 10,9% of the population with one dose and just 6,6% with two doses.

An ambulance, a small cooler and a big register. Three Community Health workers have been all over the district, bringing the vaccine ‘’from door to door’’, winning the initial hesitation to receive the vaccine. Under a tree, near some huge rocks or in a tiny health place with red bricks and corrugated iron doors, sitting in plastic chairs or small benches. The portable cooler that contains the vaccines placed on the ground, the big register on the knees to write down who receive the first or the second dose. Calm and patient, all the people wait for their turn sitting on the mats, while the children stare at something that this time isn’t about them.

«Going from village to village, talking to people, explaining them the importance of vaccination to get everyone vaccinated. This is our main commitment – explains Edith Kwezi, or as all they call her, Mama Kwezi, who coordinates the vaccination campaign for CUAMM–. Hard times continued, as in the Manyada village: after raising awareness about the importance of vaccination, the village headman only wanted to receive a single-dose and we just had Johnson & Johnson, so he and many others refused to receive it. Another difficult time took place when the transport equipment wasn’t available to reach many elderly people in an isolated village». And she continues: «In the past months there were also moments that gave us a big satisfaction, once we were in a very remote area, the Itwangi zone, and we vaccinated 13 elders. Their reaction was an extraordinary happiness, they thanked a lot CUAMM and the government for having reached them, so close to their home and they asked to carry on this strategy until all the elders will receive the vaccine».

The results are now visible: after the training of the local activists and the Community Health Workers, after meeting a lot of partners and involving more than 400 people between village headmen and religious leaders, traditional guides and opinion leaders, after increasing community outreach activities and strengthening teamwork at all levels and encouraging vaccination teams through radio spots.

«It’s necessary to carry on this work: now people start to understand that Covid-19 can be very dangerous, but they don’t know yet how to evaluate the effectiveness and value of the vaccine– continues Edith -. Many of them are still doubtful, so the awareness campaign has to proceed. Teamwork and everyone’s commitment can make the difference. The most beautiful day? When a Community Health Worker, in Nsalala, brought us in eight families, house by house. She explained in her native language “Sukuma” the importance of the vaccine and all the people we met have been vaccinated, no one refused».

 

WHERE THERE IS A LACK OF WATER, THERE IS A LACK OF EVERYTHING

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

It is a drought emergency in Angola. Our daily commitment consists of focused interventions to ensure access to drinking water in a very dry territory. This is what Maurizio Peselj, a hydrogeologist who joined CUAMM on a mission created to “help those who need to be helped”, tells us. Because where water is lacking, everything is lacking.

«Mine is not a desk job. Even in Angola I was on the move to study furos, which are “traditional” wells, and cachimbas, which are wells with a large diameter but shallow depth: I visited at least 50 of them to understand their condition, whether there was a need for extraordinary maintenance and rehabilitation. What is the difference? In furos you have electric submersible pumps, powered by solar panels, while in cachimbas the water extraction system is the classic bucket with a rope lowered to be filled.

Each day started at 8 a.m. I carried out the inspections always together with the local Cuamm engineer and my colleague Antonella, head of the project “Reducing nutritional vulnerability in Cahama and Ombadja Municipalities through community surveillance and increased access to safe water sources” on maternal and child health promotion and nutrition. The intervention, supported by Camões I.P. under the FRESAN Programme, is implemented by CUAMM in cooperation with the local authorities. In the first step, we made contact with local authorities, provincial or municipal administrators, or traditional authorities such as soba to set priorities. Then, we travelled around the mato, the bush, to visit dislocated health centers – on “roads not roads”, as I say, often interrupted by fords or unthinkable obstacles, such as potholes, landslides – to see if they could fit into our nutrition programs and, at the same time, to check the level of drinking water supply.

Now the southern province of Cunene suffers from a chronic dry situation, with rainfall ranging from 300 to a maximum of 450 millimeters of water per year, well below the threshold that is considered the limit for considering the area dry. There is a real quantitative and qualitative deficit in access to the primary water commodity for excellence. Most of the population takes water from chimpacas, rectangular basins (60×100) with a depth in the center between 3 and 5 meters, which are filled with rainwater. Since they are not protected basins, animals can access them, to the detriment of water quality with consequences for people’s health.

Orlanda, a 30-year-old Cuamm worker, showed me her home. She has five children and also houses some orphans, children of her brothers and sisters, forming a family of ten. In her hand Orlanda held packets; she explained to me that she uses them to purify the water collected from the watersheds in the area. This is not always enough to make it safe.

When I return from the mission, once again, I feel changed. I am surprised to be amazed, every time. By now, I live my fifth life. The thing I will always carry in my heart is the will to live that I found in this land! I think we must continue to walk with Africa, to help those who need to be helped. I hope that this need may cease sooner or later. But in some cases, it’s like when we’re looking at a chronically ill person: we have to keep treating them, for life».

 

This news item has been produced with the financial support of the European Union. The contents are the sole responsibility of Doctors with Africa Cuamm and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

THE VALUE OF EVERY HUMAN RESOURCE

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

“Cuamm has always tried to pay attention to the person, keep in touch with human resources, take care of them and respect them. Seeking, identifying, welcoming and accompanying, this is the specific mission of the Human Resources sector. Professionality and mission-sharing, flexibility and adaptability are required of those in the field, but it’s all in ‘how’ one stands in front of the experience: it’s opening a door through which to let everything in”. Alessandra Gatta, on a mission from the Padua office in Tanzania, tells how the selection, dispatch and accompaniment of doctors, operators, administrators and logisticians works. So many steps, one big goal: mutual exchange and enrichment. A challenging and difficult privilege.

“Human resource management is complex. Generally, a person needs to fill a specific position; therefore, it is the projects department that notifies the human resources department of the profiles needed in the field. Through this notification we start the process of recruiting and screening resumes. We meet the candidates who seem best suited for the open positions, but also those who we think could fill future positions in the projects. The next step of getting to know people takes place either through collective meetings or individual interviews; the process of getting to know them -which must be reciprocal – is complex and delicate because on the one hand it is necessary to catch the salient features of the candidate, at least the most significant ones, so we explore the motivational area through direct or indirect questions, but also the history, professional experiences, difficulties and personal experiences. On the other hand, it is important to familiarize the candidate with Cuamm’s characteristics, mission and approach.

We conduct individual interviews in twos in order to get different points of view and be more objective; those in front of us may be more or less open, wary or eager to tell their stories; the phase of listening and “suspending judgment” is essential so as not to be influenced by personal feelings. Once the individual interview is concluded, we draw up a personal profile, which is followed by a technical evaluation by colleagues in the projects or administration department. We collect evaluations on the person and proceed to give feedback, always, whether positive or negative. In case of positive feedback, we proceed with the proposal of collaboration. The moment the person accepts, the pre-departure procedures are triggered, i.e. the resource is put in contact with colleagues who deal with the bureaucratic and administrative part related to the visa/work permit, contract and everything else. Before departure, we always organize a training, usually on site. This is a crucial phase because we have to give the person all the practical information and try to get them into the Cuamm world: we are building the basis of a long-term relationship. The departing person has the opportunity to talk to colleagues from all sectors to get the big picture and to those who, in particular, follow the project activities of the headquarters where he or she will be placed. The person receives a kit, a backpack, some t-shirts, a pin, a gown if they are health workers: small items, even symbolic, but important because they show that one is entering the Cuamm family.

During this training, Dante Carraro also cares about getting to know future departures, and this is a valuable moment. Once the human resource arrives in the field, he or she will meet with the country manager who will make an introduction related to specific aspects of context and work and then be placed on the relevant team. At this point, we in human resources remain available for whatever support may be needed, periodically contact people and possibly give tools for conflict management and self-care. We also do field missions, during which we meet people and try to create an informal space where the resource person feels free to open up. Often, he or she may have needs that go beyond the work aspect, which are just as important and require attention”.

Alessandra Gatta, HR manager at Doctors with Africa Cuamm

FABIO AND MARICA ON MISSION IN ETHIOPIA

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

Addis Ababa Airport, Ethiopia, kilometer 0

The wind brings frayed echoes of traditional music, mixed with the twittering of tiny birds. The city of the “new flower,” as it is called in Amharic, wakes up. The Orthodox church is a short walk away and voices in prayer come from there. Our mission is beginning. First stop in the coordinating office, where we meet Riccardo, country manager, Cristina, administrative manager, Ademe, program coordinator. Together we focus on the projects that are ongoing in Tigray and Amhara, funded by the European Union (Echo) and Who. Ours is a planning work, preparatory and functional to everything else.

St. Luke’s Hospital, Wolisso, kilometer 120

Despite a thousand difficulties, St. Luke’s Hospital in Wolisso, southwest of the capital, is a source of pride for Cuamm. Over many years, a reality has been built that still holds up, allows us to be present in a fragile area and to enter with a qualified intervention in the Nicu, the neonatal intensive care unit, where babies live hanging by a thread. That’s the significance of all our reports, papers, documents, and efforts. The hospital recently turned 20 years old… how many patients have been treated here! And even today all the wards are full. Two days ago a woman came in with postpartum hemorrhage, and despite very prompt care, she did not make it. Major cause remains, once again, the delay because of the distance from where mom gave birth to the hospital. Immense spaces of hills and barely passable dirt roads. Against such a backdrop, the waiting house remains the only safeguard to reduce risk. And meanwhile, hospital staff and management continue their daily struggles to ensure accessibility of care amid endless difficulties, such as drug shortages and power going in and out, often malfunctioning medical equipment.

Today we experience Africa helping Africa firsthand. At a workshop with all Cuamm staff, we meet Ethiopian program managers: Tessau, Berhanu and Mary, the only woman, who manage a number of projects in the north of the country. These are local staff in a responsible role, with whom we have been collaborating for some time. The meeting is attended by the full Cuamm staff of 60 people. You can feel the change in the way of doing cooperation, with an Africa supporting Africa: the Ethiopian colleagues are real professionals, with master’s degrees in health sciences, PhDs in public health and expertise that they offer to their country. Our accompanying them is sustainable, because they will soon be walking on their own.

Jijiga, Somali Region, kilometer 600

A flight takes us to southern Ethiopia for a lightning mission. Abdissa, project leader, is waiting for us. We have been operating here since 2020; thanks to the support of the Trevisanato Foundation, we ensured the functioning of the health center by sending staff and mobile clinics. Then, the intervention expanded to two other districts, with support from Aics. The land is very arid, the population is migrant, and there are many refugees from Somalia.

Dharwanaaji, Woreda, kilometer 665

From the capital city of Jijiga, driving 65 kilometers of dirt road, we reach the very health center of Dharwanaaji in the Hawara Woreda, inhabited by 130,000 people. The Woreda has only two health centers and 20 health posts. On the way we intercept herds of grazing camels, cows and sheep that the driver deftly dodges as they cross the road. We glimpse women, covered by Islamic headscarves, walking with heavy jerry cans in their hands. Water is the most precious resource: digging a well can cost 300,000 euros.

Gambella, kilometer 710

We are at the city’s refugee center. The manager points out to us that in addition to the South Sudanese refugees, there are also nomads from other African countries who do not pass through Unhcr registration but are still being assisted. We cannot leave them alone. Later, a moment of serenity: a group of women invite us to participate in the “tea-talk,” the tea ritual, which we sip, hot, accompanied by a handful of “kolo,” a mixture of roasted barley-based grains. These are mothers, who give us a sweet song of thanks for what Cuamm is doing for them and their children.

We move to the general hospital, where we experience the pain. Here the main problem for serious cases, which are transferred even 8 hours away from the region, is the lack of blood. Unfortunately, the Regional Blood Bank has no resources to activate awareness campaigns about the importance of transfusions. With the refugees, the population has grown to 1 million. One of the patients is a small refugee only 10 years old who does not respond to treatment, comatose from meningitis. The doctor decides on a transfer–eight hours of travel on rough roads for a comatose child with seizures. An obstacle course that will cost him his life.

It’s the end of the mission, we return home: the tin roofs scattered between hills reflect the sunlight, as in a kaleidoscope, an expression of our conflicting emotions. We catch sight of the desert plain and it becomes clearer to us how those endless distances are, after all, all connected by little strips of red earth. Which we will not stop walking, with everyone’s help.

 

Fabio Manenti is a medical surgeon and project manager, Marica Pilon is Ethiopia Project Desk Officer for Doctors with Africa Cuamm.

HYPERTENSION, AN INSIDIOUS CHRONIC DISEASE

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

World Hypertension Day reminds us how all chronic diseases need treatment, constant and integrated monitoring because they often intervene together with other diseases, such as diabetes. Today, special attention goes not only to primary health care systems that make it possible to monitor them, put patients on treatment and follow them with community-based treatment (as Cuamm does in Beira in Mozambique, Luanda in Angola, or Ethiopia), but also to the many people who are displaced in their own country or refugees abroad. They are the most vulnerable: in moving around they almost always lose their medical records, they cannot take their treatment with them, they have no medical reference, so they find themselves uncovered for a good period of time, both therapeutically and for medical check-ups.

Doctors with Africa Cuamm follows these patients in Africa, where most of the internally displaced people and refugees in other countries are. We find constant crises in northern Mozambique, where there are internally displaced people in Cape Delgado province or in Ethiopia in Gambella province, where South Sudanese people have found refuge. As they leave the communities and the society in which they live, they do not have health referrals, as well as the ability to access adequate health services, to buy medicines or have access to guaranteed medicines on a consistent basis.

Thoughts also go out to the people of Ukraine and Moldova where we are currently operating due to the ongoing crisis. In Ukraine so many people have fled areas of acute conflict to take shelter in calmer areas, where we have structured a system of medical check-ups and provision of essential medicines. In Moldova, many of the Ukrainian refugees are meeting medical teams on the ground with chronic illnesses, including hypertension and diabetes.

Hypertension, like so many chronic diseases, is a growing problem in Africa. Our commitment is to strengthen health systems, in partnership with local authorities, by enhancing services with a view to sustainability and system growth to provide people with adequate treatment throughout their lives.

In Africa, hypertension is also a problem in adulthood. It is noted to be slightly earlier due to malnutrition and is an increasingly common condition. Since it is a chronic situation, following diagnosis it must be followed throughout life and becomes a major challenge for weak systems. That is why prevention is a key element in all Doctors with Africa Cuamm programs, to prevent all its effects. Sometimes it is too late to get treatment especially in weak health systems. Nutrition and physical activity are also challenging practices in settings where there are refugees, no security, no adequate environmental conditions. Some large cities like Luanda in Angola do not allow for healthy living. In addition to this, there remains the problem of early diagnosis: sometimes all it would take is to change the diet in time and the patient could already receive a benefit, even before giving a treatment that they then have to follow for life. Medical screenings are important for this. Unfortunately, in Africa the more acute effects of hypertension, such as strokes, are difficult to treat, so prevention becomes crucial.

Andrea Atzori, international relations manager

ESPOIR, RECOVERING FROM MALARIA AT TWO YEARS OLD

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

We are in Bangui, where malaria is the main cause of death under five. Here is the testimony of Corinne, a CUAMM nurse.

«He is in a state of shock, his pulse is fast but weak, his large brown eyes are open but empty, he is breathing heavily and rapidly, he is pale, the conjunctivae of his eyes and the palms of his hands and feet are white; he is alert, with a very high temperature. We immediately take his vital signs, place oxygen, a cannula and carry out urgent blood tests. We soon discover that he is positive for malaria and has a very low haemoglobin, 2.4 gr/dl (normal values are 11-13 gr/dl). We immediately ask for a blood bag, explaining to the mother that she or someone in her family will have to donate blood if she wants to save her baby. Blood is scarce in Africa, so it is important to raise awareness of the importance of donating “because one day you might need it too”».

Corinne, a CUAMM nurse in Bangui, tells us the story of Espoir, an almost two-year-old boy, who arrives at the Complexe Pédiatrique in his mother’s arms, in tears, because the little boy does not react. In the Central African Republic, malaria is the disease with the most serious impact on the population and still the main cause of death in children under five. In the rainy season, the transmission rate increases significantly and the disease becomes more deadly.

«The mother is frightened, explaining that a few months ago she lost a four-year-old boy in the same condition. We try to reassure her and explain that we will do everything possible to save her son. There is no time to lose. While waiting for the blood, we give him the antimalarial drug, an antibiotic and an antipyretic; we keep him on an IV to stabilise him. Finally, the transfusion arrived and we mounted it immediately. The fever came down and after a few hours Espoir started to react, he cried and latched on to the breast; this is always a good sign. He will remain in the observation room until the next day and will be transferred to the ward for another five days, before being discharged with a 48-hour follow-up.

Espoir in Italian means hope, which we must never lose! Espoir is one of the lucky few who have made it. For those who work in this context, if even one little sick person makes it, you receive a great strength that confirms the choice you have made and the conviction that you could not be anywhere else.

Awareness-raising campaigns are under way in Bangui’s neighborhoods and suburbs, with the help of community leaders, in the “centre de santé” and through radio spots, explaining the importance of using mosquito nets, of taking the child immediately to a health centre or to the Complexe pédiatrique in case of symptoms such as fever, asthenia, paleness or convulsion. In this hospital that we support, health education and awareness-raising also play a fundamental role and are carried out on a daily basis. Trained staff travel around the hospital to raise awareness among mothers about malaria and its prevention. A commitment that can never be lacking».

PROUD OF BEING FATHER

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

«My name is Isaya and I am father of two sons: Innocent and Steven. Innocent is now hospitalized here, at the malnutrition unit of the hospital, while Steven is living with his aunt. We arrived here two weeks ago, as we noticed a wired swelling of Innocent’s hands. I was worried about his conditions and I wanted him to be examined in order to receive medicine to make him feel better. However, the doctors decided to hospitalize him, as he was diagnosed with Kwashiorkor, a serious form of malnutrition, due to a lack of proteins and other nourishing elements essential in children’s diet. He needed oxygen to breathe and a feeding tube to be nourished. I felt reassured when I noticed how doctors were taking care of him.

Innocent had been hospitalized for one and a half month at the intensive therapy unit. Once his conditions improved, he could be dismissed. He was finally able to talk, play, eat and moreover, he told his mother: “I prefer rise than ugali”. Unfortunately, his health conditions suddenly got worse again; therefore, here we are one more time. I had to leave my work and come here at my sister’s house, located in a village near Ipamba, to support my son.

Since I came here, doctors and nurses taught me how to take care of my son, how to properly prepare and warm milk and how often should I give him the food. Therefore, I wanted to help other mothers in the unit, explaining them how to take care of their children. During the night, I wake them up to remember that it is time to prepare milk. I taught them how to check their children’s temperature and if too high, report it to nurses. A childhood development specialist is organizing activities and plays to stimulate Innocent’s development and to communicate with me, his mother and other children.

I am the only one father at the unit, as normally in our culture children care is not men responsibility. They are ashamed of it leaving the whole responsibility to mothers who need to provide themselves alone to their children. If I had the possibility to talk to them, I would tell them that when you become parent your son is a gift and it is important for the whole community. It is important to involve fathers in children’s growth, educating and raising awareness among villages about health and children care. My friend asked me often why I am in the hospital, as if it were wired; and I usually answer “Yes, I am taking care of my son, I want him to be healthy again and feel good”. Unfortunately, there is a lack of education; we have not enough instruments to understand the importance of personal and children’s healthcare. Therefore, it is essential that community operators go to villages to raise awareness among communities about many themes, especially, giving advises about proper nutrition, health education and good hygienic practices. I would like to do the same to avoid that other children could suffer as my son».

Life and Love will win, HAPPY EASTER!

Posted on by Redazione Cuamm

Easter is coming. A holiday to commemorate resurrection, life over death. Our thoughts cannot fail to go with those living in dark times, facing suffering and death every day. As Pope Francis keeps reminding us, every conflict, every war is a sacrilege, an atrocity we have to stop fuel before it destroys human beings. Everywhere in the world. From Ethiopia to Northern Mozambique, from South Sudan to Central African Republic up to that one closer to us, in Ukraine. We are constantly, deeply, dedicated to our mission in Africa. That is where our heart and life are. Nevertheless, we are now called to show solidarity also to the nearest mile.

Chinisau e Chernivsti: these are the cities from which our health workers received a deafening appeal for help. Specific interventions. Something we are capable of in a country we are just getting to know; interventions implemented according to our mission, addressing primary health needs while working alongside local authorities; cautiously yet concretely.

Chernivsti is a small town in the north-western part of Ukraine not yet bombed. There, 200.000 inhabitants have welcomed 150.000 internally displaced people. All the schools have been converted into shelters. We are helping five hospital and a local NGO here, providing them equipment and drugs that are essential yet hard to find. Moreover, thanks to 4 ambulances donated by Regione Veneto, we are setting an emergency service to transfer the most vulnerable from inland areas to this town; they are pregnant women, children and elderly.

In Chinisau, the capital of Moldavia, the first Cuamm doctor arrived on April 3rd. His name is Paolo and he is setting up a mobile clinic in a reception centre hosted in a church. The clinic will support the Moldovan health system, that is approaching the breaking point, providing primary health care to refugees fleeing from the south.

I received a message from our colleague Giovanna, who is working on this intervention and has just returned from Ukraine:

«Life must go on, one way or another. While we hope that the war end soon, we also believe that the pain and grief caused can only be mend with love, peace and humanity. Never forgetting that we are brothers and sisters living in the same world and that humanity will win over atrocities. This is what I have seen and heard and witnessed spending my time with Natalia and Katharina in Ukraine, but also with Anastasia and her children, refugees from Odessa who arrived in Chisinau. Life and love will win».

Sure that Life and Love will win, I wish you

HAPPY EASTER!

D.Dante

PS. If you want to know what we do every day to “play our part”, you can follow the stories from Moldova and Ukraine.

Read the stories

 

 

WDF TURNS 20 :|THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP FOR DIABETES’ CARE AND PREVENTION

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World Diabetes Foundation turns 20 and celebrates the achievement of the goal offering an online symposium entitled  “20 years of improving lives together- the power of partnership towards better diabetes care and prevention” on Wednesday March 30th. An extraordinary opportunity for professionals to discuss best practices and find new approaches in care and prevention of diabetes, bearing in mind lessons from the past while looking forward.  Among many other speakers, Doctors with Africa is taking part in the symposium to take the experience and the expertise acquired in Africa and to emphasize the importance of partnerships such as the one started in 2014 with the WDF that has been bearing fruit ever since. In Ethiopia, for example, which is rated among the four countries in Africa with the highest incidence of diabetes counting more than 1,7 billion people with the disease. A three-year project, ended in 2022 and implemented with the support of the WDF, yielded remarkable results: 14.455 people tested for diabetes and 17.098 tested for hypertension; 22.470 patients treated in health facilities supported by Doctors with Africa in the framework of the project and 392.355 people sensitized to the topic. Moreover, 505 health workers trained on NCDs and 105 supervisions carried out in health facilities.

The commitment to tackle NCDs is renewed in other countries across Africa such as Sierra Leone and Mozambique where Cuamm is implementing screening and sensitization activities, offering diabetes treatment and promoting healthy habits. In order to reaffirm its decades-long call to beat NCDs, the project “Hub and Spoke” launched in Mozambique by Doctors with Africa aims at creating health centers to provide diabetic children and young adults with treatment and care. Over 70 years of presence in Africa, Doctors with Africa has witnessed the rise of numerous non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, little-known and neglected conditions. The partnership with WDF permitted to implement interventions to bring about a change in health systems, engaging communities, local activists, health authorities and Ministry of Health. The population’s health benefitted from integrated responses that matched the experience and knowledge of Cuamm with WDF’s professionality and competencies. As in Ethiopia and Mozambique, positive results were achieved in Sierra Leone where a total amount of 5.342 pregnant women and 2.847 patients from 10 health facilities were screened in the districts of Pcmh and Pujehun.

«I wish to thank WDF for this opportunity – says Andrea Atzori, Head of International Relations at Cuamm and speaker in the symposium. Over many years of on-field interventions, we have learnt from experience that the defeat of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes must be addressed taking into account three cornerstones that perfectly reflect the mission of Doctors with Africa Cuamm, namely: the strengthening of health systems, which means that care and prevention of diabetes must be integrated into local health services; the engagement of multi-level stakeholders, from the Minister to hospitals up to health facilities and communities; last but not least we believe that no one single person can be left behind and every efforts must be made to reach the “last mile”. Therefore, partnership as the one between Cuamm and WDF are worth and do make a difference to everyone, everywhere, only if context-oriented».

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