ARCHIVED STORIES

Project Brings Dignity to Handicapped

When Sali Moise hobbled into the hospital compound in Meskine seven years ago, he was a crippled man without hope, looking into a probable future as nothing more than a beggar.

Today, Sali, also a Christian, is what we would call an entrepreneur, a hopeful businessman with a future of providing for his wife and two children - all on his own.

It is not uncommon to see children in Meskine using walking sticks because of crippling burns caused by fires used for cooking and warmth. Such was the case with Sali, who would be crippled for life.

When he arrived at Hôpital de Meskine in 1995, Dr. Bert Oubre amputated the bad part of Sali’s leg and had him fitted with a prosthesis.

Trying to find employment for Sali, an uneducated bushman, was a challenge for missionaries. Their goal was to have him no longer look to the "nasara," or white man, as his source, but to become self-sufficient.

The board and missionaries began to review the rehab work with the goal of promoting independence among the handicapped.

As a result, MCWA contracted with Sali to allow him to purchase its grinding mill, which is used to grind millet grain into flour. This flour is a staple African food, making the mill a necessary part of everyday life in Meskine.

Sali’s mill produces a better quality of flour than others in the village, and he now has customers coming from the hospital and elsewhere for his services.

We give God the glory for Sali’s success and ask you to pray for wisdom as we help other handicapped men and women in Meskine realize their God-given potential.

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MCWA Doctor Serves on AIDS Committee - Village leaders band together to stop the spread of the AIDS epidemic in Cameroon
By Dr. Jacqueline Koster
Community Health Doctor, Hôpital de Meskine

Note: Dr. Koster is the only expatriate to serve on the committee. She is committee treasurer, a high honor and one that displays trust of Christians, particularly an MCWA missionary.

In the five years that I have been in Meskine, I have seen a frightening increase in the number of AIDS patients. When I arrived, most people here denied that AIDS could be a part of their lives; now, everyone is aware of its presence. Each neighborhood of the village has its deaths and its patients. In some areas of the Far North Province, 13 percent of adults test positive.

The government has begun committees in all towns and villages for an intensive campaign of health education and counseling to stop the spread of AIDS. Chiefs, religious leaders, and the local elite are involved. Our committee chairman is the younger half-brother of our village chief. Muslims as well as Christians serve on the 22-member committee. The main emphasis of the government program and of our health teaching will be on prevention: abstinence before marriage, faithfulness in marriage, and condoms only as a last resort.

Our local project was launched in June when 30 men met in front of the chief’s house to participate in health education. At the same time, about 100 miles away, 40 women and many children listened to female health teachers. Every week three health teachers travel to listen, teach, and share. Door-to-door visits allow personal discussions.

Some committee members are responsible for registering AIDS orphans who need help with school fees and medical bills. The chief, the neighborhood leaders, and the elite help to pay. The government has given a generous grant, but once the program is well established, the committee must look for ways to continue the work.

We hope in the coming months to visit the more than 30 neighborhoods in the village and to meet many of the 30,000 inhabitants personally. This program is one every responsible person should be involved in, particularly Christians who, by their lives, can show that God has the power to change hearts and homes.

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