One of the highlights of our trip will definitely be the dedication ceremony at the Tamale Teaching Hospital and Tamale Eye Clinic. We had both major chiefs of Tamale and a lot of the state politicians and medical directors at the ceremony.
Dr. Ken Sagoe, Tamale Teaching Hospital Administrator, said that Walter Hughes couldn’t celebrate Christmas this year when the medical equipment was stuck in customs at the port in Ghana. Christmas definitely arrived today. The department heads are starting to receive the final pieces of equipment. There are times in our lives when a present for someone else has more meaning than getting a new gadget. This year, I wanted “medical toys” for all of the dedicated doctors and nurses and patients at a hospital and eye clinic. Santa Claus lost his way a little in West Africa; he had to use two shipping containers instead of a sleigh.
I thanked all of the Rotary Clubs in the USA, Canada, and Great Britain who helped make it possible. We also had Peter DiCampo, the son of a Milford, MA Rotarian Al DiCampo at the ceremony. I also recognized Dr. Ken Tuck of the Roanoke, VA Rotary, Conrad Heede of the Grapevine, TX Rotary, and Carol MacDonald of the Kearny, NJ Rotary Clubs. I recognized Peter DiCampo as the Milford Rotary Club’s representative.
We raised around $59,000 to ship two medical containers with equipment and supplies worth between $800,000 and $1 million. The Rotary Wine Appreciation Group had a lot to do with this project! Redwood United Methodist Church paid $1,000 toward finding out what the hospital urgently needed. Project C.U.R.E. was also recognized as a key partner for collecting, refurbishing, and organizing the medical equipment and supplies.
We are busy. We drove two hours each way to check on the new church construction in Sagadugu on Thursday. The truck carrying the lumber broke down on the highway. The truck arrived on Friday with the needed lumber and roofing sheets. We bought food for four villages on Thursday. The end of the dry season is a very desperate time of the year. Children are starving because the food runs out before the dry season can end. It was hard seeing several communities where the children have been healthy in past years to see the bloated bellies and missing patches of hair this year. We drove back to Tamale this morning. We left Walewale at 6 AM to make it back for the hospital celebration.
I drank water out of the Rotary well in Nabari again. Two out of three wells were going strong at the end of the dry season. The third well needs a repair. We’ll contact the Water and Sanitation Committee to find out when they are going to make the repair to the Ghaniri pump.
It will be difficult to send out updates during the next week. We will be in “the oversees region” starting at 6 AM on Saturday. I’m looking forward to see Rotary at work in this remote area. It will be a fun, but a tiring experience. This area of Ghana needs help, but it is a “You just can’t get there from here” part of Ghana. Our days of updating the blog, sending out emails may be over until next week. We will try.
Here’s my goal for the next week: I’m preaching at least five times on Sunday. I will hold a three-day revival at night in the Bolgatanga area villages. I will be checking on wells during the day which are part of the two Watertown, NY Rotary Clubs and District 7550 projects for MG 65414 Rotary grant. There’s many clubs involved in these water grants! I hope to dedicate a church next Wednesday. It will need plastering and other work, but we’ll celebrate anyway. I look forward to having time to preach over four busy days. It has been awhile since I’ve had that opportunity over here.
I’ll check in when I can… Thanks for all of the notes and emails. I’m a little behind, but I’m trying.
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