.....On the road again! ...GALMI !!!

 We returned from Togo in mid March 2020, just as the world was shutting down with pandemic fears. It was eerie to walk through almost empty airports in Houston, Atlanta, and Chicago on our way back to Grand Rapids.

After being "grounded" for a year and a half, we are excited that we are scheduled to travel to Niger on October 17 for six weeks - this will be our fifth visit to Galmi Hospital. Galmi was founded in 1949 in a remote Hausa area at the southern edge of the Sahara Desert and is about 275 miles from the capital city of Niamey.  Travel to the hospital takes about 6 hours by car/bus and about 1 3/4 hour by mission aviation. On the map below, Galmi  is 3/4 of the way between Niamey and Maradi. The hospital is operated by the mission organization SIM (formerly Sudan Interior Mission) . 

   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Niger is one of the very poorest countries in the world with GDP per capita of only $1200. The literacy rates are 27% for men and 11% for women. The birth rate and infant mortality rates are among the highest in the world. 

We will be required to quarantine for a week in the capital city before being released for travel to the hospital. We anticipate being very busy since the hospital is often short staffed and we are heading into "malaria season" - as you may have seen in an earlier post, malaria is especially devastating in young children, who often present with severe anemia, high fevers, seizures, and even coma. Thankfully, many survive with vigorous treatment including anti-malaria meds, transfusion, and seizure meds. Many children suffer from malnutrition.  Other common illnesses include typhoid fever, HIV, TB, parasites, hypertension (often with levels rarely seen in the states), diabetes, and congestive heart failure. 

Thank you for your prayers for the people of Niger and for us.