Transforming Church

Every Cent donated to MDH is 100% used for our work in Africa. Administrative costs are very low, since most of us are highly skilled volunteers. The only people receiving a salary are our Kenyan nurse and our Kenyan Community Health Workers, since they do not have any other income. Costs for stamps, paperwork, banking fees etc. are covered by some supporters of MDH who donate specifically for that purpose.

Together with our local partner Tawfiq Hospital in Malindi, Kenya, MDH focuses on 7 projects:

1. HIV/AIDS: About 20% of people in the reproductive age group in Kenya are HIV positive. The amount of suffering is beyond imagination. People often die under miserable conditions. Since August 2004 MDH is training 15 Community Health Workers (CHW). We intend to employ 12 CHW and a coordinator by 1st of January 2005 who will be working in different villages in Malindi District. Their task is to serve HIV infected people during their last stage of life. This includes basic nursing care, teaching these skills to family members of infected people, identifying cases that need referral to Hospital for treatment of opportunistic infections and a strong emphasis on counseling. They also teach in local schools about prevention of HIV.

2. Hunger Relief Program: Most HIV-infected people are productive members of the population - the family breadwinners. As a result many families go hungry and children are unable to attend school because they are burdened with caring for infected parents. MDH has therefore established a "hunger relief program". Patients in an advanced stage of the disease are provided money to buy food. Orphaned children infected with HIV and their caregivers, or orphans who are affected by HIV because their parents have died, also receive financial support for food and school fees.

3. Mobile Clinics: MDH operates mobile clinics in disadvantaged rural areas of Kenya. Two clinical officers, one oral health officer, one pharmacist, one nurse, and several assistants make up a team. Several days before the mobile clinic is scheduled to take place, a messenger will be sent to the area. Announcements will be made at the local school, churches and other places where people gather. On the day of the mobile clinic, our team arrives early in the morning and sets up the equipment in a convenient place, typically a school. The team will see a great number of patients during a mobile clinic. We have treated more than a thousand people on a single day. Patients receive medical treatment, drugs and required prescription lenses free of charge.

4. Clinic Kokotoni: Kokotoni is a disadvantaged rural community in Kenya. People have no further access to healthcare facilities. Transport to town is too expensive for many people. Some of the patients treated in Kokotoni walk through the bush for two days to reach our clinic. Unnecessary deaths from diseases that can be effectively treated, such as malaria, respiratory tract infections and diarrhea, are frequent in the area. MDH has employed Agnes Guyo as a nurse to provide quality primary healthcare. A Pharmacy in Malindi supplies the MDH clinic with drugs at wholesale prices. The pharmacy is paid partially with money received at the clinic and mainly by Medical Assistance in Africa (MDH).

5. Orphans: MDH provides support for orphaned children identified by our community nurse Agnes Guyo. They all lived under very challenging circumstances before receiving support from MDH.

6. Drug Collections: Pastor Thomas Lübke is the treasurer and the deputy chairman of MDH. From our Berlin head office, which he operates out of his apartment, Pastor Lübke lobbies pharmaceutical companies to donate drugs to MDH. He has managed to secure considerable quantities of high-quality drugs for our projects in Africa. Pastor Lübke cooperates with opticians for used prescription lenses that we transfer to Africa, and he works with doctors and community healthcare centres for second hand medical equipment.

7. Week of Mercy: Every year, Tawfiq Hospital hosts a week of mercy. The poorest of the poor receive surgery free of charge. Most times, sufferers have been waiting for the week of mercy for a long time, because they were unable to pay the fees at Government Hospital or their case had repeatedly been delayed at Government Hospital. Especially chronically ill patients benefit from this program. Tawfiq Hospital provides surgery facilities and technical equipment. MDH carries the costs for materials and the travel expenses for the participating surgeon.

We need YOUR help, so we can continue helping others! Please consider MDH this year and make a secure online donation with your credit card (VISA or MasterCard) at www.mdh-africa.org!

Blessings to you,

Dr. Olaf Förster Chairman and Founder
Pastor Thomas Lübke Deputy Chairman and Treasurer
To learn more about Olaf's work, read Commitment of a Lifetime.