Greetings to MOH supporters both near and far! It sure has been a busy and fruitful 2024. We have much to be proud of this year, the least of which are the smiles on these children’s faces! Yet our biggest announcement is…
HOSPITAL CONSTRUCTION HAS BEGUN!
The government of Sierra Leone has asked that we revise our plans and build a larger hospital. Of course this will require more money! We have six involved and committed supporters who have signed on as capital donors at $15,000 each: Chris Mohr and Matthew Guerreiro, David Miller, Louis and Dana Pagliera, Risa Gold MD, Patti Moss, Sara Vernam, and two anonymous donors. We will need seven more to get to the finish line of the construction itself. Naming rights are still up for grabs for a sizable donation!
The villagers bring up sand from the river to make the bricks. When the photo below was taken, the construction facade was at window height. Now we are up to door height. Soon we expect to be at roof height!
Our New Skills & Training Centers
There is a lot of building going on! Skills Training Centers are being established in Ngolahun and Kenema. The former has four manual sewing machines, the latter two electric machines. The mothers of children suffering from Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) and Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) are being taught how to sew and make handcrafts to sell at the market or through us to support their loved ones. Of the children we see in Ngolahun, 80% experience some degree of malnutrition. We have already implemented a feeding program for these families, but having their own income will be a source of great pride and a tangible step forward. There are thirty-eight mothers in this category; half of them are teenagers. Some of them cannot leave home because they have other small children. Additionally, we want to start a Microfinance program for them to raise chickens and goats as well as keep bee hives, all of which provide good sources of food and income. Setting up this program will cost about $3,000 for training, supplies and maintenance. A little goes a long way at Miracle of Help!
Recently, we have established the Kenema Woodworking Shop for the men. The shop, furnished with the tools so generously donated by Dr. Murray Becker, is now up and running. They will fabricate all the windows, doors, tables, and chairs for the hospital. Never having used these kind of tools before, they taught themselves from YouTube!
Our Monthly Services
Our monthly clinics continue to be the mainstay of our involvement and are now attracting patients from 37 villages. In the four years we have been sponsoring them we have treated over 10,000 people, and our mother/child fatality rate is ZERO! Most recently we have identified 30 people in need of mental health assistance. We, in conjunction with our colleagues at Partners In Health, are providing much needed treatment for these patients.
New moms with their babies. We treat young, old, men, women. You name it!
A beautiful mother and baby birthed at our clinics.
A government Dr. treating a patient and her child in our Little Blue Clinic
Risa with the kitchen volunteers at the LBC during her most recent trip to SL.
Student Organizations
Three cheers for Eli Kaplan who started the first chapter of the MOH Leadership Club at Stuyvesant High School! The club boasts 15 active student members (and growing) who are committed to spreading the word of our mission and raising awareness among the younger generation. They are helping to put the fun in FUN-draising! Eli recently accompanied Risa on her trip to Sierra Leone. If you know a student who would like to start a MOH chapter at their school, please email us at: [email protected].
Stuyvessant MOH Leadership Club
Eli taking a patient’s blood pressure at our clinic during our latest trip to SL
First meeting of the MOH Club
Creativity for a Cause
Jesse Wright (pictured below), a much-lauded mural artist, has been designing original works of art for us each year to auction off at our annual benefit. Please look at Jesse’s website: jeswri.com for larger depictions of his work and contact us at: [email protected] if you are interested in commissioning for our cause. A third original work will be unveiled February 7th at our yearly fundraiser and will be available for sale.
Jesse with our winning bidder at our fundraiser in 2024. If you want to meet Jesse, join us for our “Light the Way” benefit on February 7th in Long Island, NY.
Jesse’s first original work for Miracle of Help. These large scale, one of a kind masterpieces are even better in person!