Last day

It’s hard to fully express the depth and breadth of the experience we’ve had here in Jos with Faith Alive and NIFES. It has been wonderfully rich and enjoyable. We’ve learned of many effects of HIV/AIDS on this Nigerian community from the perspectives of patients, family, providers, and partnering organizations (PEPFAR, IHV, CRS, AIDSRelief, MCC, APIN/JUTH, Evangel Hosp, NIFES and others) committed to awareness, testing, treatment, and social rehabilitation here in Jos. The work is great. We’ve been privileged to serve alongside the staff of FA, and encouraged them in our “goodbye seminar” at Staff meeting on Wed to continue to work well, with good communication and teamwork. We feel our contributions have been good, small and simple ones – friendships, a logo, compassionate clinical care, an initial analysis of ART here, quality and respectful photos, videos, brochures, pamphlets and articles, joyful interactions and cross-cultural exchanges.

Faith Alive is in a time of great transition. Since Dec 2004, more than 1600 patients are receiving ARVs. Treatment of 2000 individuals is the expected sustainable goal for FA. Since Oct 2005, a large new hospital complex has been under construction. Commissioning will happen on the 23rd of June, and furnishing and effective usage will continue to be worked out for many months to come. It’s the next step in the vision for FA to be a place of excellent training of providers, including a medical library, conferences, and eventually a Christian medical school. On the 13th of April, 2006, the entire lab, medical records, and much of the clinic space, including the in-patient ward, were lost in an amazing fire. Things that were replaceable are slowly coming through God’s provision and the generosity of many, including the formation of the new Faith Alive Foundation (www.faithalive@faithalivenigeria.org), soon to be a 501c3 organization, and which Ryan has been asked to serve on its board in a communications capacity. The work at and through FA is great.

Thank you for following our trip with a desire to learn more about HIV/AIDS, Jos, Nigeria, and us as we’ve been here. We look forward to continuing to be involved with our many connections to Jos, especially through FA and NIFES. We’ll closely follow next year’s elections, pray for stability and peace, and look forward to returning to Nigeria next Nov and Dec.

Posted from Berlin at Annabel and Erik's place!

Working Hard to Wrap Up

The title summarizes what Ryan is doing. With the 10th Faith Alive anniversary coming on 23rd –24th June, he’s working hard to get all of the things he’s produced to the printer ASAP (not unlike his work at the NSC). I enjoyed going to Yankari National Park with Carmen earlier this week, though, the animals were mostly “inside,” as in not out at the river because it’s rainy season. Thursday I gave a lecture to med students at JUTH on “computer applications in medicine” for Dr. Chris, which largely emphasized what are still only potentials here. Next Wed will be our final day with FA and we’ll share at the staff meeting – Ryan’s putting together a simple slide show with some of the 300+ pics he’s taken and I’ll share highlights from the research analyses I’ve done. We hope to encourage the staff by reflecting back to them the unique and quality work they’re doing here. We’re extremely grateful for the chance we’ve had to learn so much here in Jos about HIV/AIDS, to work alongside wonderful people at both FA and NIFES, to complete projects (at least our parts) that we think are of reasonable quality and helpful to others, and to have had the times of rest we’ve had. Life has been a different and simpler pace here (especially for me), which has been enjoyable, though, we’re also looking forward to reconnecting with our community and work in Madison in July (after some time in Berlin and RI).

Wrandom Writings #4

Do your arms feel like they’re going to fall off from lugging that baby everywhere you go? Sure, we’ve all felt that way. Unfortunately, babies tend not to stay put very well when you carry them on your head (see previous Wrandom Writings), so another solution must be found. Perhaps one of those expensive baby backpacks you can get at REI? Who has that kind of money? No, all you need is an ordinary strip of stretchy fabric, and your baby carrying woes are over! At first, it might not seem that safe and secure, but with a little practice you’ll soon see that you can take a baby just about anywhere like this – to the store, to the hairdresser . . . even on a motorcycle. And let me tell you, the babies just love it, and they have greatly enhanced hamstring flexibility to boot. So don’t delay – get yourself a fabric wrapper, and bring new meaning to the very American phrase “Baby got back . . .”