Blog 3: Darfur's season of suffering
POSTED: February 12, 2007
By Bill Horan, Operation Blessing President
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OBI and Humedica's three clinics are now the main source of medical relief for more than 100,000 refugees.
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In the Old Testament of the Bible, chapter three in the book of Ecclesiastes, the first line says: "For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven."
In America, when we talk of seasons, it's usually for the likes of baseball, holidays and fishing; seasons for planting gardens or harvesting crops; boating, skiing and a long list of other seasons of joyful activity. Most of our seasons are times we look forward to and we are happy when they arrive each year.
In modern-day Sudan, seasons are not something to look forward to. Here, people talk of seasons with a sense of dread; sandstorm season, where an orange fog of desert dust blots out the sun, suffocates people outdoors and covers everything; rainy season, when for months, "rain pours from bathtubs not buckets"; cholera season, when the rains cause latrines to overflow and poison water sources; measles season, when thousands die from a disease eradicated so long ago in the U.S. that we joke about it; malaria season, when clouds of blood-thirsty mosquitoes deliver dengue fever by day and malaria by night. The list of seasons goes on ... and none of them are good.
The people of Sudan have long survived in spite of seasonal challenges, but historically, they have always fought the war on home ground - with only home, village and family support.
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Horan sits inside a camp clinic with a young boy recovering from surgery.
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Now, on top of the hardships imposed by weather and disease, rural Sudanese farmers and herders are struggling for survival amidst a war that started in 2003. Hundreds of thousands have fled their homes and sought safety in IDP (Internally Displaced Person) camps. The conditions in each camp vary, but under the best of circumstances, life in the camps is a season of suffering.
Without humanitarian organizations like Humedica and Operation Blessing, the legions of refugees would totally be at the mercy of the elements and would suffer untold deaths and unspeakable misery.
OBI and Humedica currently operate three clinics that are now the main source of medical relief for more than 100,000 refugees. Midwife service is provided 24/7 to deliver babies and care for pregnant mothers; vaccinations are given to prevent measles, TB, polio and other diseases; oral salts are administered to prevent death by dehydration from diarrhea; hygiene is taught to prevent diarrhea and offset cholera season; vector control implemented to dry up mosquito breeding; and sleeping nets are distributed to defend life during malaria season.
These and a myriad of other preventative, curative and educational measures are given freely at the clinics.
The Bible says, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven." This is the Season of Suffering for the people of Darfur. The Time to help them is now. Please consider helping us do more.
How You Can Help
You can take part in helping Sudan's refugees by making an online donation toward OBI's "Crisis in Darfur" fund. With your support, OBI can continue to provide food, medical care and more to thousands of hurting refugees.
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