Volunteers at our 2005 clinic in Erema, Nigeria
Volunteer Rima praying with a patient
Some of the many people who visited the clinic
While a typical free healthcare project runs for a week, our large scale projects are the result of months of planning, administration, logistics, volunteer recruitment, and a tremendous amount of coordination. Since the sites where the projects take place are usually rural and lack most, or all, infrastructural conveniences we normally take for granted, the coordinating team work long hours to ensure the project goes smoothly. Needless to say, when the very complex programmes are successfully carried out and concluded without major setbacks, all who have participated breathe a sigh of relief.
Before the team (sometimes as many as 65 volunteers) arrive at the project site and begin treating patients, a preliminary team travels well in advance to the chosen hospital. They ensure that it will serve the project's purpose and be able to accommodate the throngs of villagers that will inevitably arrive seeking care. Bush must be cleared, entire wards and gangways scrubbed to satisfaction, generators overhauled, medical equipment put in place and operating theatres sterilized. Traditional rulers and community leaders are made aware of the project in advance and town criers are sent to the four winds carrying their message; ensuring all are made aware of the soon coming team of doctors, and with them, the hope of free healthcare.
As the project's venue is being readied, the rest of Family Care's coordinating team is busy undertaking the mammoth task of recruiting a team of volunteer medical doctors, pediatricians, surgeons, dentists, opticians, ophthalmologists, pharmacists, and logistic specialists. This is perhaps the most challenging aspect of the free healthcare projects, as the volunteer team is recruited from various and far-flung towns and cities throughout the country. Transportation by land, air, or boat (and sometimes a combination of all three) is arranged for the large team of volunteers to be safely ferried to the targeted village. The complex logistics and communications between the coordinating team and volunteers takes a tremendous amount of perseverance and effort that finally results in a sizeable and well-rounded team of competent volunteers eager to participate.
Soliciting the resources for the free healthcare projects is the most deciding factor in an undertaking of this scale. Sponsorship for these initiatives is sought from large companies or government bodies, who bear the bulk of the cost of pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, and logistics. Other members of the business community are also contacted to contribute funding, products, and services.
When the project's opening day arrives, much has already been consolidated, but many challenges still lie ahead. At first, the patients start to trickle into the hospital at a manageable rate. Some happen to live in close proximity to the hospital and take the opportunity to benefit from the programme, while others come to see if the healthcare is in fact free and return home to tell family and loved ones what they have seen and experienced.
From the second day of the project until the last, the volume of people steadily grows to eventually many more thousands than can be accommodated by the medical team. With added pressure from throngs of people begging to be the next one to benefit from free healthcare, the entire team must run like a well-oiled machine to achieve maximum efficiency and reach all they can with quality healthcare. Working tirelessly from early morning until late at night, the volunteers summon all of their physical, mental, and spiritual resolve to do their part in making the project a success, while at the same time endeavoring to convey a message of hope and love to the many lives they touch.
The grateful villagers stand in lines, awaiting attention from the volunteers. Those seeking treatment will first receive a patient card, which guarantees them the free healthcare. The patients will then have a chance to meet and tell a doctor, pediatrician, dentist, or optician of their infirmities. After the diagnosis is made, patients are either sent to the pharmacy to collect their drug prescriptions or if surgical attention is necessary, they are referred to the theatre team to be screened for surgery.
As the patients leave the hospital after benefiting from the programme, they often thank the volunteers for coming to help them with the otherwise inaccessible and unaffordable healthcare. This is especially true of those who undergo serious surgeries, as they're well aware that if the programme hadn't come to their village they may have continued to suffer with their condition indefinitely, resulting in a difficult and perhaps shortened life.
By the time the project comes to a close, a total of between 2,500 to 4,000 people will have received free healthcare. Between 1998 and 2005, a total of 10,406 pairs of prescription eyeglasses were dispensed free of charge. For most it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The overwhelming feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment that comes to all the programme's volunteers is indescribable. Seeing lives saved, sight restored to the blind, strength returned to the weak, and those treated joyously embracing their loved ones and turning to thank you, is priceless. Many volunteers comment that they had originally come to give away what they could, but realized that they had gained so much more in return; they cannot call their participation a sacrifice.
It is our hope that Family Care will be empowered to increase the number of free healthcare projects that are carried out each year to reach many thousands more. We believe that these projects have a tremendously positive impact on the targeted communities, not only with the obvious healthcare and treatment they receive, but with the message of faith that they receive through it. The fact that teams of volunteers would leave their homes to come and give of their time and resources, sends to the recipients a strong message of hope and love. It is our prayer that this will grow in their hearts and motivate them to also make a difference by helping their fellow man; truly making their immediate surroundings, and in turn Nigeria, a better place.