Quick Update

Hello all
a very quick update to say we are all doing well.
the supplies made it through customs ( Thank You Sisters Barbara and Diane at Cabrini Mission!! )
so far our trip has been a series of surreal experiences ... of which i will elaborate on more when i have more than 2 min of internet

regards
Chris

$25,000 worth of Supplies

What does $25,000 worth of medical supplies look like ??

Donations !!

Unbelivable ! We have managed to collect enough money to purchase 4 of the medical supply packages ... that's over $24,000 worth of supplies ( each crate is ~$6100 )

Many thanks to ( in no particular order )
Jeff B & Kirsty N
Pam H.
Nolan E
Jean B.
Sandy S.
Jeanette S.
Joan H
Lissa M
Winifred W
Judy B
Catherine E
Phil R
Louise E
Jhadten J
Brenda M
Nic G
Allison M
Lillian Z
Christina J
Dean P
Allison B
Donald W
Thomas C
Friends of Marianne P
Jill Y
Adrienne P
Kimberlay C
Amanda S

If I have not put you name on the list, it only means that I am overwhelmed with pre-trip preparations

Lots of supplies going here - St Philips Clinic, part of the Cabrini Orphanage ( http://www.swazihope.com/SwaziHope-Swaziland.html)

Los Angeles Times Journalist Photo Diary

this is a photo-journal from LA Times reporter Carolyn Cole

click on link: Carolyn Cole's "Orphaned by AIDS: A Crisis in Swaziland"


Truly highlights the crisis faced.

Swaziland's Orphans Need Your Help

At the behest of someone smarter than me ( Thanks Amy), I am re-stating the urgency of our need for supplies and the dire straights that are faced by the orphans at St. Philip's Mission in Mhlathuze

We now have enough for one Physician Travel Pack ! for more info : www.hpicanada.ca
Can we Get Enough for Two !?!

Swaziland has the world’s highest
HIV/AIDS rate ( 38.8% )

life expectancy :
male: 32 years
female: 32.6 years

•

the World Health Organization projection to 2010-->10% of country (110,000 ) will be orphans
Teenage with HIV at Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital



Some small communities have more than 5 funerals per week


Here is a link to the 2007 web posting

http://swaziland-journal.blogspot.com

If you are able to donate $10 - Please do so [ if everyone donates just a little bit, it will literally change these peoples' lives ]

I will need to order the pack(s) by the end of this week to ensure their arrival before we leave. If you could graciously help, please do so prior to the end of this week

you do not need to sign up for a paypal account - simply enter your donation amount, hit "Update Total", and it will ask you to fill in you name and address ( it needs you address so it can cross-reference with your billing address to ensure the credit card is indeed yours)

Swaziland 2009

In an effort to save the world, we are returning to Swaziland in April. I have been in contact with a rural mission ( St. Phillip's Mission ) in Mhalthuze, Swaziland. They are in need of medical supplies, and have posted a list.

I have also found a group in Canada - Health Partners International of Canada - who supply ' Physician Travel Packs ' for ready-transport to 3rd world countries
http://www.hpicanada.ca/

The travel pack contains Antiboiotics, Antifungals, Analgesiscs, Antiparasitics, Topical creams... basic supplies that we in North America take for granted.
The pack costs $575 ... but the contents are worth over $5000... Please keep in mind that most people living in Swaziland earn less than $1 per day... $5000 worth of supplies in a staggering amount for them.

In an effort to raise enough for 1 ( or possibly 2 ?? ) packs, we are setting up the Paypal account again. Granted - the global economic meltdown is not helping anyone, but any donation would be greatly appreciated... even $5 would help us reach our goal

There is also a fund at the hospital we are going to... "Friends of Good Shepherd (FOGS)- It provides funds for patients who don't have money to pay the hospital bills or buy medicines or for transport"


*** FOR THOSE OF YOU IN THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY -- I need ***
Specific Requests for:
*kerlix bandages
*gauze 4x4s
*anti-stick sterile gauze
*heavy sterile pads for wounds
*silver nitrate cream for burns
*small Blood Pressure cuffs with stethoscopes
*eye drops to clear irritation and small infections
*antibiotic cream - topical
*anti-bacterial hand wash (No water needed)
*flashlights that are wind up for recharging the battery
*anti-itch cream -topical
*anti-fungal creams
*white medical tape
*band-aids
*paper masks for use of patients in cars together going to hospital; for nurses visiting homesteads

if you have access to any of these ... please let me know ( i will pick up in the Vancouver area)


There will be 6 of us ...
Many Thanks
Chris, Jennifer, Carina, Marianne, Danielle, Heather