Habari #21

Hello from Kenya,
The last few months have been very eventful for us, with conferences, fact-finding trips, landslides, evacuation flights, and disaster relief. In this letter, we'll tell you about an exciting new project that David has been working on these past few months and how the people here are doing after the landslide…

Vision Trip – a new hospital in Mozambique?

Northern Mozambique is among the poorest regions in Africa. Infrastructure is virtually nonexistent, and due to natural disasters, terrorist attacks, poverty, and other factors, the almost exclusively Muslim population lives in a highly unstable situation. There are areas larger than Austria without a single hospital.

Left: Mozambique has a very long and beautiful coastline / Right: a small primary care clinic in the bush

A doctor friend of mine, who has worked in Mozambique for the past few years, has a vision to build a Christian training hospital in the north of the country.
The vision is grand, the questions are numerous – are there other doctors who would support this project? Could existing infrastructure be used? How likely is the Minister of Health to be won over? David and Brian were on a fact-finding trip to Mozambique last month, and in many respects, they found open doors. The two men visited almost all the key people, from the herbalist in the village (bottom left picture) to the Minister of Health (bottom right picture). David was particularly pleased that some places were only accessible by bush plane!
The next step is to formalize the government's stated interests in a contract. David is thrilled, and we're eager to see what happens next.

Left: In some areas, modern medicines are difficult to obtain; natural remedies are shown here. / Right: Meeting at the Ministry of Health in Nampula.

In May, David had the opportunity to represent BANDA Health as a speaker at a conference for Christian doctors in Greece, where he spoke about technical support for primary care clinics. He enjoyed networking with like-minded individuals and encouraging one another. Afterwards, he made a side trip to Austria to visit family, friends, and church communities.

Flood relief

In our last letter we reported on the floods in MaiMahiu, our neighboring village.
Lisa worked with some of the first responders. During the debriefings, there was a palpable sense of fear and uncertainty. But at the same time, it's astonishing how resilient many people are and how the churches and communities are coming together to help. There's hardly anyone in the village who hasn't lost at least one friend or even family member. We're trying to help them process this catastrophe through pastoral care and group therapy. A highlight was a "mental health day" at the children's home, where the children were able to creatively process their thoughts, experiences, and feelings in the form of a collage (using movement and painting).

Approaches to art therapy in trauma processing

Thank you for your many donations for this cause! Over €13,000 has been raised. We are overwhelmed by the generosity of so many! With this money, you give us the opportunity to help people in our community who have lost so much. Now that the unrest in Nairobi has subsided and the floods have faded into the background, many flood victims feel forgotten. Your help reminds them that they are important and loved by God.

These rocks (left image) now lie where these people's houses used to stand. The family was overjoyed when they received a new roof (right) and no longer had to sleep in the wet.

We have already helped some families rebuild destroyed or damaged homes, schools, and sanitation facilities. For those injured who couldn't pay their hospital bills, we covered the outstanding balances. Others we supported with food, school fees, gas stoves, mattresses, water filters, and other household items. So, on their behalf, a huge thank you to you all for your practical help, which has truly been a blessing.

Other things that are going on:

Noemi and Layla have had a successful volleyball season and have completed their 9th and 7th grades, respectively. Noemi's team also visited a local children's home (picture on the left).

Now they are enjoying their summer holidays with time to sleep in. Our annual end-of-school dinner is always a highlight for our ladies. 

A Swiss colleague contracted dengue fever and had to be evacuated first to Kijabe, and then to Europe. Lisa was able to accompany her and spend a few days in Austria. A godsend!

We're not coming to Austria this summer, but in December. We're really looking forward to seeing you all.
Thank you for your support in this work. It's a pleasure to be on this journey together!

Greetings from Kenya,
The Miners