Thursday, February 23, 2006
Report from Rwanda
My daughter wrote a chilling paper on the Rwanda genocide of the last decade. The Rwandans were more efficient than the Nazis, killing about 800,000 of their fellows in a few weeks. Now they have to recover their country and their soul. (DenverDocDaughter and I went to see Hotel Rwanda and found it riveting.)
Some of our local docs just got back from there and here is their report:
Some of our local docs just got back from there and here is their report:
We are consultants to the Rwandan Ministry of Health on community health policy and strategy for the future; will be home in Mid March, and want to keep our promise to host, in Genesee, an informal evening for debriefing. We have had an opportunity to see all four borders of this tiny country where the maternal mortality rates are among the highest in Africa, and where the infant mortality rate is still above 100 per 1000 live births per year.
Because they fear HIV, many of the old granny midwives have quit doing home deliveries and instead accompany their clients to the health centers. We wonder how soon the centers will be overwhelmed! There are very few docs in the rural areas, and those who are there depend heavily on nurses or they too would be overwhelmed. Happily there are over 12,000 village volunteers for health, so that children are vaccinated and most of them are under nutrition surveillance. It is at this level that Rwanda is asking us to help plan next steps. At the medical school, they are looking for professors who would come and be in charge of specialty training, something that is only beginning.
This country is still recovering from the genocide of 1994. It is sad to see the mass graves everywhere. Some of the perpetrators (including doctors and engineers) were arrested immediately and are just now getting out of prison. Here, the church is playing an important healing role as are physicians like one we met last night, who is part of the reconciliation council. Their plan is to put such men now leaving prison into camps near their home villages at first. There, members of the village come and meet with them, and they may ask to see and ask forgiveness of families who suffered from their crimes. The doctor told us that at first there is a lot of fear on everyside. The prisoners fear the villagers and the villagers fear the prisoners. With the help of local pastors, there is open discussion. Prisoners ask to work in the fields nearby, and little by ittle healing may begin. The stories he told us are beyond comprehension, but we rejoice that there is a healing process, and that God is blessing it.
There are many widows, and their plight is extremely difficult. One church related group is offering American churches the opportunity to "adopt" a family that has lost a mother or father, to help them for three years financially. Meantime, missionaries work with the families to teach them skills that will help them survive economically.
We ask your prayers that we might fulfill our assignment in good order.
Dr's Warren and Gretchen Berggren
