Day Seven:
I just realized that reports of the hospital have been noticeably absent from my musings. Be assured. We are moving forward. Our incremental progress may seem negligible by New York standards, but it feels like solid progress.
First, a quick report on the actual site: We drove to see the land on Saturday morning. The round trip drive of 60 km took about five hours. As previously reported, the traffic was crawling. Not trying to be funny, I observed that someone could die on the highway while trying to get to a doctor. And it’s absolutely true! For the 150,000 people living around Bargny, the hospital will be easy to reach by motor vehicle or horse cart or walking.
We are clearing legal hurdles every day. The association has been registered here in Senegal as a nonprofit. This was accomplished quickly with significant “insider” support from a highly placed individual in the police department, who originally comes from Bargny. We have a meeting next week with the deputy mayor of Bargny, specifically to receive the title to the land.
And we are gathering new advocates and supporters every time we tell the hospital story. Last Friday, we met with Simone Kabore, the president of the Regional Association of the International Lions Club. Admittedly, I was skeptical. Within my Kansas hometown frame of reference, “Lions Club” equates with “soup supper, pancake feed and Labor Day Queen”. (For further explanation of these Midwestern phenomena, please post your questions and I will explain.) Here in West Africa, far from the Kansas plains, the Lions Club is a vital channel for connections, community engagement and philanthropic support. We have been invited to make a presentation to each of the six local clubs in Dakar. With this local advocacy and support, the door opens to pursue funding and in-kind support from the international organization, which annually provides medical supplies and equipment valued at millions.
Who knows? Maybe some of the funding we receive will have originated at a pancake supper in Hoisington, Kansas.
LOL@Lyon's Club Reference. As mid-western kids we had always wondered what those places were, other than gathering halls for our parents and "flag wavers" at local parades. I noticed that too in Brazil, it is strange to know our "parents" actually been involved in things that had serious international philanthropic endeavors that we couldn't have understood. LOL. Love that you have a blog, I often wonder how you are doing
ReplyDeleteStephanie - So glad to have found you in Senegal ... I am on the UWS as I type - enjoying a cup of brewed coffee. As I told you - Senegal is a world of contrasts - but one constant - great joie de vivre - even inthe most extreme of circumstances on both ends of the spectrum. Keep us posted! And write about Madji when you meet! Hugs from NY. David
ReplyDeleteWow, Stephanie, your new journey sounds so exciting. This is the first I am hearing of it and I applaud your courage to walk boldly into the unknown. Keep me posted. Michael
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