Thanks to the life-giving blood bags, this is how Judith and her daughter Rehema look today

Democratic Republic of Congo

The second largest country of Africa, full of paradoxes. On one hand, it is rich in natural resources (including cobalt, copper, coltan, crude oil, diamonds, gold); on the other hand, its inhabitants are among the poorest in the world. For decades, the DRC has been suffering from prolonged conflicts that have led to one of the most severe humanitarian crises in the world.

Overview:
  • 77% of the population live in extreme poverty for less than $1.90 a day
  • 16% of the country’s population, i.e. over 13 million people, require immediate humanitarian assistance
  • 13,6 million people are deprived of access to safe water sources and proper sanitary and hygienic facilities
  • numerous outbreaks of deadly diseases, including measles, malaria, cholera and Ebola
  • about 10% of all malaria deaths in sub-Saharan Africa occurred here
Our hospital carries over

27 000

medical procedures per year
We treat about

7000

malaria patients every year
Our midwives delivered about

953

babies in 2023

01.09.2021

Last November, we reported to you on the dramatic events that unfolded in Ntamugenga. A pregnant woman was brought to our hospital when she was shot in the stomach. The mother and her daughter made it through without major harm. Here is what little Rahema looks like today!

Judith was eight months pregnant. She realised the danger when it was too late. She wanted to check on her neighbours, who were barricaded in by assailants wanting to abduct the father of the family for ransom.They did not find him, so they terrorised his wife instead.When Judith went to check on her neighbours, a series from an AK47 fired in a blind frenzy threw her to the ground. One bullet hit her in the chest, the other… in the abdomen.

We work in Congo under extreme conditions, but this land is home to thousands of people, the only place on earth that they know. New rebellions and bandit groups are emerging here like wildfire. Not a day goes by without someone being kidnapped, shot or killed. Innocent people are suffering, often women and children. Thanks to the dedication of the Sisters and staff at the Ntamugenga hospital, tens of thousands of people a year are given a chance to recover or to survive.

At first, the doctors were almost certain that Judith’s baby could not be saved. However, it soon became clear that the bullet had grazed the stomach, but had not touched the unborn baby. An immediate blood transfusion, oxygen and a prompt operation saved both the mother’s and the daughter’s lives. Rehema was born a little prematurely. She was saved by a warm family nest, which we also have thanks to you. This is not how Judith imagined the birth of her first child, but the joy that she is alive and growing so beautifully is the greatest she could imagine.

Thanks to you and the wonderful team from Ntamugenga, many miracles are happening right before our eyes. With your help, there could be even more. Each blood transfusion, in order to save someone’s life, must first be possible to perform. For this to happen, we need to buy blood. In Congo, blood is bought, because although blood donors give it for free, it must be collected, tested several times, transported and stored in appropriate conditions. Blood donation centres are not subsidised, they are sustained by hospitals, which pay for each bag of blood. Prices fluctuate, sometimes putting a dent in our budget, sometimes dropping to USD 20, which is still a big expense, but one to which we have become accustomed.

Today we ask you for at least one such life-giving bag of blood that has already saved Judith and her little treasure, Rehema!

Urgent Help Needed

Save the Pharmacy for the Poorest in Togo

This amount will allow for equipping pharmacy shelves for the first half of the year. Ania and Mateusz will take care of this, and they will fly to Togo in February and fill the shelves with the most essential antibiotics, antimalarial drugs, and pain relievers. The Saoudé Pharmacy has people to save. It cannot succeed without your support.

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We already have :
3,419 EUR
We need:
6,667 EUR