Helping Babies Breath and Mothers Survive
Helping Babies Breath and Mothers Survive
The week after we all arrived here in Minembwe, two midwives, Sarah and Abby, came from the U.S. and Canada to do two trainings called “Helping Babies Breathe” and “Helping Mothers Survive – Bleeding After Birth.”
For two days, Sarah and Abby trained the three doctors from the local hospital, as well as the doctor who is a professor at the university.
The doctors were very engaged in the training.
The doctors then assisted Sarah and Abby in two different two-day trainings for the local medical community including nurses and staff from the hospital, midwives from local clinics, and university staff and nursing students.
All the participants were pre-tested prior to the training, then tested again at the end of the course. The improvement in the test scores revealed that there was a high level of comprehension of the material taught during the course.
All participants passed the final practical skills test, as well as the written test, and they showed dramatic improvement in all aspects of these lifesaving procedures. Sarah and Abby left two sets of training equipment, one for the hospital and one for the university; we are excited to be able help facilitate future trainings.
Miles and Emilee helped in facilitating the training, and they also participated and were certified in both trainings.
As is the norm here, Sarah and Abby were delayed leaving for three days due to their helicopter flight being canceled; we’ve come to view these delays as “opportunities.” Sarah, Abby, and Miles used this opportunity to visit the clinics in three villages, evaluating their resources (beyond minimal) and gaining an understanding of how they (Sarah and Abby), or others, could be of service to the local clinics in the future.
At the last clinic they visited, Sarah and Abby had the opportunity to help deliver a baby alongside one of midwives who had attended the training.
Over the past two years, we’ve become good friends with the hospital’s doctors. Whenever we have them over for a meal, they arrive early so we can play many rounds of Uno.
Definitely not “Me first.”
Definitely not “Me first.”
During our previous trip to Minembwe, I ran short of backpacks for the orphans. I had only two backpacks left as I faced three girls. I asked if any of the three would volunteer to wait until I came back to Minembwe, which ended up being eight months later.
This girl, Namajana, volunteered quickly, so I told her I would bring back for her an extra special backpack.
I bought a backpack and asked a friend of ours to stitch Namajana’s name on it. What a grateful smile when I presented the backpack to Namajana.
We’ve also just posted a few miscellaneous photos of Bella, Sophia, and Aimee playing in our “Peyot” (gazebo-esque building) on Facebook and Instagram/Website.
More photos of what we’ve been up to coming soon.
"I'm Tired"
After a long and busy day, at dinner Bella (3) announced, “I’m tired.” Bella and Sophia’s first Monday in Minembwe started off with helping with the wash.
What a joy to see the girls want to help; Sophia is making sure that “Baby Bebe” is nice and clean.
Bella and Sophia were soon joined by Namajana, Mama Chance, and Lisa.
Emilee and her helper Aimee.
The girls also love to help with the cooking; it’s easy for them to be involved when all the work is being done down at their level.
“Looks like we made it!”
To quote Barry Manilow, “Looks like we made it!” After four flights, totaling 23 hours in the air, we finally arrived in Minembwe.
After a nearly sleepless flight from Seattle to Washington D.C., the Ostrander family napped on the floor at Dulles International.
After our third flight, we usually take a 35-minute UN helicopter ride up to Minembwe, but the girls were too young to use the helicopter, so we had to drive to an airport in Northern DR Congo to fly on a plane into Minembwe.
Fortunately, Bella and Sophia were fantastic travelers, as our seven-hour drive turned into eleven hours due to road construction, border crossings, a five-month old baby, and a flat tire.
I was so hungry on this drive that I first thought the sign on the back of this van read “Shwarma.”
Our family was loaded onto the plane first, which put Miles, our newly “winged” pilot, in a perfect spot to chat all flight long with the pilot.
We love flights where everyone has a window seat.
With our pilot Ted, who also happens to own this airline… Busy Bee Congo.
We were walked from the Minembwe airstrip back to our home by this group of our friends from the community, and the university. Andre, one of the orphans, gave a lovely welcoming speech.
Bella and Sophia’s first night in Minembwe was also their first night sleeping, at their request, in their own room.
To Minembwe!!!
Here we go!
On September 11, the Moores and the Ostranders finally head to Africa; our final destination is Minembwe in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We hope to make our way up to Minembwe by September 22.
To see the location of our volunteer house (not yet built in this Google Map photo), the university and K-12 school, and the orphan’s home, click on this link to Google Maps. Once you find us, if you zoom out a little bit you can also see the location of the hospital and the camp of the UN peacekeeping troops.
Welcome to our new way of keeping in touch! After 19 years of living and working in the Middle East, we’re excited to finally be able to communicate more freely through this website. When there’s news to report, we’ll still notify you via email, but we can now also alert you via Instagram, or Facebook, so make sure we are linked also with you on those social media options so you don’t miss any updates or photos.
Our daughter Demerey has volunteered to be the LaOlam Stateside Administrator, so feel free to contact any of us or Demerey with any questions you might have at our new email address: LaOlamAfrica@gmail.com
Many have requested an online way to give to LaOlam’s work. If you are interested, please check out the “Give” section on this website to see several new options. Using the Amazon Smile program is another creative way to easily support LaOlam; more info found on the “Give” section.
Somehow, Michael
