Charis Around the World

Tidbits From Ebony
by Elizabeth Carmichael
January 2011

Dear Charis Family,

In the past few weeks I have been busily working on a year end report reflecting the community development project progress for 2010.   These stories are shared with donor agencies that help our progress stay active.  They are mostly about the women we have trained in basic health care, clean delivery techniques, and nutritional agricultural.  I wanted to share with you some of the stories of our women who are working hard to serve their communities here in Ebony.  These might seem like such basic stories to you. Maybe they are even boring.  I really don't know how others will view them.  But, I think they are SO EXCITING!  I can hardly believe the amazing ways our Father brings aspects of His Kingdom into the lives of women who would otherwise be completely destitute and secluded from the rest of society......and now He is using them to bring life to far off areas where none of us would survive because outsiders are not welcome.  Oh, may He bring more than just physical health into these lives......

Blessings,
Elizabeth

** One community health worker, Rose, went to stay with relatives in a village far from the city.  During the night a man who had a very long, very thick beard came in search of help.  The health worker knew him to be one of the Warlords living in the area.  He was very upset and worried because his wife was in labor. 

The community health worker at first advised him to take her to the local clinic where a midwife could attend the birth, but he refused saying that he would not allow such a thing (for his wife to leave his home).  Rose was uncomfortable about the situation, not wanting to leave the woman and family without help.

She thought, “What level of help should I offer to them?  I am not even a midwife.”  She went to the home of the laboring woman.  She prepared everything for a safe delivery from the supplies available in the home.  She followed procedures to make herself, the room and the woman clean and ready for the baby.  Very quickly, she realized the woman was delivering twins.

Rose was helping the labor progress and ready to catch the babies, but also started thinking ahead and problem solving, “Where will I place each baby when it arrives?  How will I make sure I am observing them and also the mother at the same time?  How will I make sure I pay attention to how much blood she is losing?”

She thought, “What do I do?!”  Then she told herself, “I will work hard and do what I know.”

The woman gave birth to two boys and recovered to perfect health after the risky delivery.  The husband came into the room and was very happy and grateful for the help of the community health worker. Later, the family made a dress for Rose to thank her for her help.  She refused to receive it until they delivered it to the home she was visiting. 

This story illustrates the cultural barriers and challenges to health care in remote communities.  Yet, the understanding of community health worker availability, level of experience and value to the community was also demonstrated in this situation.  Rose also remembered that she is strictly a volunteer, yet the family realized that an investment in her well-being is appropriate.

** Sally, a community health worker from the Star group was helping a laboring woman and needed more help and experience at her side, so she sent for Suna, another community health worker who lives in the refugee camp.  She knew Suna helps a lot of people with health and also helps with deliveries and teaches lessons in her community.   “When people enlist her to help, the babies are born correctly.”  In this case, both women helped to deliver an almost obstructed still-birth that had occurred before the family notified them.  The baby was delivered without complication to the mother and the family thanked them for saving the mother’s life.

** Rose, the woman mentioned above, lives and volunteers as a community health worker in an area with many nomadic people.  Her own young daughter fell into a pot of boiling water one day and both her hands were blistering.  Rose followed all the first aid instructions for burns, remembered them perfectly and got her daughter to a hospital right away.  At the hospital, the doctor was examining her daughter, but Rose knew how to speak up for her own health care—she knew what level of care was appropriate and she was confident in what she knew.  So, she politely asked the doctor NOT to break open the blisters and drain them because she observed his instruments and technique were not completely sterile, nor is the procedure completely necessary for the type of burns her daughter had.  She took the daughter back to the house.  The doctor at the hospital told her to keep coming back, but she had supplies and knowledge at home to continue cleaning and changing the dressing for her daughter’s burns. Now, the daughter’s hands have healed completely. We want community health workers to work together with local health care providers and to realistically acknowledge the limits to their scope of practice.  However, we also view this story as an example of how basic health knowledge empowers individuals and communities to make choices and take responsibility for their own health.  The personal experience of Rose also gave her more confidence when helping community members with similar problems.

** Molly is a community health worker.  One day, a community member went to her home and asked her to come visit a very sick pregnant woman.  Molly realized after arriving that she needed help to care for the patient, so she sent for another community health worker in the area.  Then, one by one Molly mobilized every member of her community health group to take turns caring for this woman. When they reached a point of not knowing what more to do for the patient, they phoned one of our project health trainers in the middle of the night saying, "Maggie, we don't know what more we can do for this lady."  Going to the clinic was not an option because they were so far and had no transportation.  Maggie (the project staff member) helped her review some of the ideas in our development course so that she could enlist a male community member to find transportation.  The group got the woman to the hospital and now she has fully recovered.  Through this experience Molly and her community health worker group learned leadership, mobilization, and teamwork.  The community also realized the value of mobilizing to support each other in times of need.

** Aubry is a community health worker trainee in the far village group.  Her son picked up a mine and it blew off two of his fingers and severely damaged his hands.  Along the way, in dealing with this crisis, Aubry kept her training group updated and enlisted their help when she needed it.  Her son spent a month in an emergency hospital (his mother knew she should take him to this facility because it was discussed in one of her health lessons).  When her son returned home, she needed help to continue caring for his wounds.  She went to the local clinic doctor's house three times, but his door was shut and locked, so she shared her problem with the health training group.  The group reviewed the lessons about caring for burns and changing dressings.  After putting the lesson into practice at home, she said, "I never thought I could do this!  Now, my son's hand is healed so well."

** Mikella, a woman from a group near the clinic, reported that her husband was suffering from depression as the winter set in.  She was very busy and very intent about taking care of her home garden, but she also tried to help him by having him come and walk in the garden, look at the plants and help her care for them.  Now she reports that the plants have "saved" her husband because his emotional state has slowly improved, even as the plants have remained healthy during the cold weather.

** Ally, a woman in the "Light" group, is maintaining a demonstration greenhouse for her community health committee group and for the community to benefit and learn from.  She has gained much respect in the community as she works hard in the garden and then gives away the produce to community members.  She has given carrots, eggplants and other items to families in need of nutritious food. Through this, she is an example to her group and to the community.  She is also directly addressing the malnutrition problem in her area through her volunteer service.  Instead of viewing the lack of agriculture and the malnutrition as an overwhelming problem, she is doing what she can as an individual change agent.

** From one corner of the room a woman shouts: “The mosque is blue!   You’ve got to use a blue marker!”  From the middle of the room: “My door is brown.  I am using a brown marker so everyone can find it. Hmmm….all of our doors are brown because they are made of wood.  Ok, mine is the SMALL brown door.”

It was exciting to observe the newly graduated group of community health workers mapping out their neighborhoods and responsibilities as health care workers.  On the day of graduation, one of the group members who proved in the beginning to be a challenging student for the trainers, said, “Now our work has begun!”  She had embraced the concept that we were not providing “work” to them, but training them to serve and develop their communities.

The group continues to display a momentum and commitment to their service of the community.  The desire for more health training and volunteerism is also spreading among the men of the community.

Our International Charis Family
Your stories from around the world touch us and we pray for your safety.
Thanks, Love and Blessings to every one of you!