Prayer Letter

Plans for the Prosthetics and Orthotics (P&O) department are making progress. Alongside looking into local needs by shadowing at the Guinebor 2 hospital (G2) wards and physio department, we have been building connections with P&O departments in other African countries to make sure that what we set up at G2 is suitable for the culture and environment. We've had calls with other centres around Africa and spent time at one of the 2 Chadian P&O centres. Roger is presently in Cameroon for a week, visiting another department to see how they work and the materials they use. We have finalised our workshop equipment list and have worked on our building plans. Once we have an approved plan and location (by hospital senior management) for the department building, we can then look at costings for this part. Another big section to tackle is the 'consumables and componentry' list, working out exactly what stock we will need and where to source it all. We will try to buy as much locally as possible, but some things just aren't possible to buy in Chad. Some of the materials and most of the componentry (plastics, knee joints etc.) will need to come from abroad, so it's then a case of balancing product quality and affordability alongside the ability to get it to Chad…not always the easiest thing to do in a landlocked African nation. Luckily, we've had some good recommendations from the other centres on this front.

Having been in Chad 3 months now means we feel like we're in a bit more of a routine, but this is interspersed with the school breaks which we've found slightly more challenging than in the UK. The children have just started a 2 week break, and the reality of living in Chad means there are not the same type of things to do here with children. Gone are the parks, softplays and farmparks we used to frequent regularly in the holidays. Thankfully, Roger was able to make them a little playhouse in the garden before he left for Cameroon, and the many trees to climb on site keep them amused too! Unfortunately, once the heat of the day hits they need to come back inside to play.

With the overwhelming heat here, and the house usually only being around 5 degrees cooler than outside (think cooking dinner in an already 40 degree kitchen), we came to the decision that to make life a little more comfortable we should install some air conditioning. It wouldn't be possible for us to have it in the whole house so we chose instead to install some air conditioning in the 2 bedrooms. This makes it more practical to sleep at night and then be a bit less tired in the day. Having some respite from the heat has made such a big difference to surviving life here.

Beyond the hospital walls, the area is full of life and activity. When the hospital was built in 2011 it was surrounded by empty space, with the knowledge that the government was going to encourage people to build in the area. This is what has happened, and continues to happen. Ingrid had the opportunity to go on a home visit with a Swiss missionary physio who works in the local community, to see a little boy with cerebral palsy in the next village. The physio explained that when she met him a few years ago, he was only ever laying on a mat and couldn't hold his own head up. She has worked hard with weekly visits to encourage him to sit and dress, and walk short distances with assistance. It was great to connect a little more with the local community, but sad to see that for those with disabilities, life opportunities can be greatly restricted without the healthcare support they need.

Praise God:

That we are getting into more of a routine and have been able to make progress with our P&O plans.

For the building up of connections and relationships locally and further afield.

That we were able to renew our visas and the children tolerated the long waits at the government visa office.

Prayer Requests:

For safe travel for Roger when he returns from Cameroon. He is doing the trip by road, a 6-7hr journey within Cameroon to the border crossing over the bridge from N'Djamena.

That the P&O plans continue to progress well.

For all Chadians as they tolerate the hot season and await the coming rains.

That G2 will be a light in the darkness and continue to serve the local population well with Christ-like servant heartedness.

Thank you so much for your ongoing support, we really appreciate your prayers as we continue to settle in our new environment.