Throughout Niger, people have little access to health care, leaving children with a high risk for sickness and a variety of diseases.

KOLLO, Niger – New Year brings new hope to the people of West Africa with the anticipated opening of a large-scale hospital in the severly impoverished region.

In conjunction with partner Humedica International, a German medical nonprofit, and The Hosanna Institute, Operation Blessing plans to open the first phase of the hospital in Kollo by next month, which includes a 24-hour maternity ward.

The project is desperately needed: at twice the size of Texas, Niger remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Close to 10 million people suffer in abject poverty, with little access to health or educational facilities. Disasters such as the 2005 famine, which left millions on the brink of starvation, brought futher devastation.

In Kollo, the average life expectancy is only 42 years old, with children, pregnant women and the elderly at a high risk for a variety of diseases.

It’s a sad statistic that OBI’s National Director Yacouba Seydou, a Nigerien native, knows all too well and is working to change.

Operation Blessing is working alongside partner Humedica International to establish a self-sustaining hospital in the city of Kollo.

“At the clinic, the treatment for pregnant women and children up to five will be free,” said Yacouba, who along with his wife Renaté, has been working on development projects throughout the country since 2001.

“The vision is to establish a self-supporting clinic to share the love of God in a very practical way," he added, “and to help the most vulnerable groups of the population.”

Humedica and OBI plan to cover the operating costs of the clinic for the first year, including medicine and hospital staff, until the project is fully self-supporting.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

OBI is committed to bringing free medical services and dental care to people in need. You can be a part of these life-changing efforts by making an online contribution today.

 

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