Below is an email I received this morning from Allan Mayfield who is currently in Burundi working as a volunteer in a project to build and staff a hospital for a part of the county to serve approximately 40,000 people. This is just plain, old fashioned help-thy-neighbor type of consciousness raising.
I'm pasting his entire email and would encourage anyone who can help, or who may know someone else who may be willing to help, to do so. Jai Marek ** From: Allan Mayfield [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2007 6:43 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: Deogratias Niyizonkiza Subject: Test #2: Power of Networking - Set #2 Hi Everyone, Here is test number two in determining whether my network can be leveraged to assist the new NGO I am working with in Burundi, Village Health Works (VHW). The short story is that Deogratias Niyizonkiza is a survivor of the Burundian genocide of 1993, which led to a civil war for over 10 years and devastated this already poor country (now considered by some to be the poorest country in the world). Deo returned to his home province a few years ago from the USA (after an odyssey that included living on the street in NY, speaking no English and dealing with major PTSD from seeing many friends and family killed at close range) and decided that he would make it his mission to build a model hospital in an area of about 40,000 people who have no basic health care and primarily live in dirt floored, mud/brick/stick houses. I can say from personal experience that these are folks that have little or nothing and are at the mercy of all sorts of treatable disease, including malaria, respiratory infection (major killer of children), intestinal parasites, malnutrition, HIV and tuberculosis. To support his vision, Deo, while a medical student, founded VHW as a 501C3 nonprofit organization in New Hampshire and began raising money in late 2006. That effort led to the building of 2 new clinical buildings, a water system, kitchen and septic system on a 20 + acre site donated by the local community (who improved the 6 kilometer dirt access road to the clinic with shovels and hoes). In addition, this first round fundraising purchased a 9 month supply of basic medicines and clinical supplies which arrived in Burundi yesterday. We will be opening the clinic within a week, however, fundraising must continue to be able to move forward with phase two, which includes a residence for permanent staff. We have been sleeping on foam mattresses on the floor of one of the buildings and will be shifting to bunk beds shortly, but that means 10-12 people to a room; not the best set-up for long term living and welcoming visiting medical volunteers from the USA and Europe. Phase two also includes a modern, "European" style toilet and shower building, to replace the existing rough latrine and lack of shower facilities. Phase three will include 4 new clinical wards, maternity, men's, pediatric and women's, which will allow VHW to provide inpatient care. The amounts of money are substantial from one standpoint, $100,000's, however, the so-called return on investment is major. As soon as we open the clinic will be providing outpatient service to about 1,000 people/month in a community where the average worker earns US$0.50/day. When the wards are complete we will be able to add 120 inpatient beds for much more extensive on-site treatment. Add to that a cadre of 80 Community Health Care Workers who will go from house to house for AIDS, maternity care and TB screening and the clinic will be able to provide direct service to over 20,000 people a year. That will literally transform the life prospects for this entire community. And over the long run VHW will be demonstrating a new model of socially just medical care in a country that still incarcerates people who can't pay even the most meager medical bills. So, what am I asking for this time? Deo has been pursuing fundraising single handed. We are now looking for ways to expand on these efforts. I would appreciate it if you would think about your network and the network of people your network knows. We are looking to make contact with three types of people: 1. Individual philanthropists who could be interested in seeing their donations literally transform an entire community in one of the poorest countries on earth and over time, their contribution would help the entire country-wide health care system evolve 2. People that understand how to access foundations, government and intergovernmental agency grants, both USA and international 3. Individual doctors, Information Technology professionals (computer network management folks) and international development graduates (BA or above in areas such as anthropology, agriculture, animal husbandry and community health) who might be interested in spending a month or more getting amazing, hands-on experience in a rural area in a country that needs all the help it can get. A month might work for the right expert, while 2 months is a minimum for more general expertise. It takes time to get acclimated and understand how things work here and for any type of solid training of local staff, there would need to be enough time for classes interspersed with day to day work and appropriate follow-up. You might think that NGO's would have these types of connections already, however, we are a team of 10 Burundians (Deo, plus 4 nurses, two business people with college degrees; all others high school education) and 4 volunteers from the USA (MD/PHD medical director; an about to graduate USA med-student; recent BA in anthropology and me). What has already been accomplished by my colleagues, in terms of establishing the organization, raising funds, acquiring land from the community, building the phase one buildings and acquiring necessary furnishings, supplies and medications is amazing, particularly when you go out into the surrounding hill community and see that the average person walks up to 4 miles for water, 8 miles for secondary school and 15 miles to get to the nearest medical care (and is often turned away as they can't afford the fees). What we must do for the next two phases is even more challenging and we are a small team. Our Burundian colleagues are very dedicated, but unable to help with the world beyond Burundi's borders, as they are themselves genocide/civil war survivors and have very limited resources. I am hoping that you will look into your contact file and see who might be or might know someone from one of the three categories above. Note that when I first thought of who I knew, I didn't think of myself as having connections to major philanthropists and foundations, but as I thought through what I knew of my friends, acquaintances and ex- colleagues, I realized that I was within one person of all sorts of resources, financial, professional, international development, etc. I can guarantee that this is an opportunity for someone who has access to resources and/ or knowledge and wants to see a better world to have a major impact. VHW built a 7 room clinical building for about $25/sq foot. Basic medicine and supplies come from two specialized NGO suppliers, one in Amsterdam and the other in Kampala, that provide enough material to treat about 8,000 people, a 6-8 month supply for us at about $50,000, or $6/person. We will build and outfit a 30 bed maternity ward, that will save dozens of newborn and maternal lives every month. Our Community Health Worker outreach program will grow to a staff of 80 ($20/month for full time workers), who will be canvassing the entire region for TB and HIV patients, driving mortality rates way down and allowing families to remain intact (AIDs and TB orphans are legion). One last note; VHW is working closely with Partners in Health. Although you have probably never heard of PIH, they are one of the most respected social justice, community based, international development health care NGO's in the world. Paul Farmer, their founder, is on VHW's board and has been instrumental in helping Deo get started. However, PIH can only help so much, as they are expanding their operations in multiple poor countries (for a great read, get Mountains Beyond Mountains by T. Kidder). I say this, as VHW is tiny, but it is founded on some of the best principles and is using some the most advanced medical protocols for truly poor communities that have been developed by PIH over the last two decades (PIH pioneered HIV treatment for the poorest of the poor and established the protocol for treating drug resistant TB around the world starting with the Russian prison system). These folks are amazing and for real. Your extended network may very well include folks that could help. We have particular needs in terms of solar power, information technology and phase two and three construction funds. We have general needs in terms of our annual operating costs. This is the opportunity for someone or some agency to have a major influence on an entire country's health care system with what would be considered ridiculously small sums of money in the USA. And I can say that anyone that meets Deo will be meeting a truly remarkable person "one in ten million" per Paul Farmer. I send this out in hopes that through the power of the internet and my network, we can help VHW make magic happen for literally the poorest of the poor. Please have anyone that is interested contact Deo directly, while copying me (to avoid time delays due to my limited access to the internet here in Burundi). All my best wishes to you, Allan From: Deogratias Niyizonkiza [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, November 12, 2007 1:49 AM To: Allan Mayfield Subject: Hi Allan, Below is our info for the fundraiser event in NYC. Please let anyone you know about it. I will post this on the website. I also wonder whether you have any suggestions in terms of how to advertise this better. Please join us for a benefit to save a village in Burundi and hear more about great achievements in less than a year from Deogratias Niyizonkiza, founder of Village Health Works, and Tracy Kidder, winning Pulitzer prize author. Address: 1025 Penthouse D. North 5th Avenue, Between 83rd and 84th Street, across street from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. When: Wednesday December 5, 2007 >From 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. The place can fit 50 people. Very best and a million thanks for all you have already done for our project. Make sure that you do your best to take care of yourself. I worry when my American friends are in Burundi and I am not there. Warmest regards, Deo
