We’re very excited about the upcoming fundraiser which is less than two weeks away!  There are still some whole tables left, so if you haven’t bought yours yet, do so before they’re all gone!  (Buy tickets online.)

We have some really amazing items we’ll be auctioning off.  One of them is a private tour for four people of the laboratories at Intellectual Ventures.  This is a rare opportunity to look around inside what has to be the closest thing to a real mad scientist’s lab in the Northwest.  These folks invent truly amazing things.

Consider their “photonic fence” which uses high power lasers to zap mosquitoes in mid-air.  This invention aims to fight malaria by preventing any mosquitoes from passing through an invisible fence.  Here’s a slow-motion video of the laser hitting its target. (Watch an explanation of the technology here.)

IV is an amazing and somewhat secretive place.  To get a chance to bid on this rare look inside, come join us at our benefit dinner on Saturday March 3rd!

Photographer Zorn B. Taylor is generously donating his time to Blue Nile for our upcoming fundraiser.  See some samples of his work at www.zornimages.com.

We’re very grateful to have a talented photographer and excited about the event!  You can buy your tickets online now from Brown Paper Tickets.

Join us for a fabulous evening of fun and fundraising to support Ethiopian orphans and our Richard Oslund Memorial Health Clinic in Addis Ababa!

When: March 3, 2012 from 5pm to 8pm 

Where: Saint Mark’s Cathedral on Capitol Hill in Seattle (map, directions)

Tickets are $50 per seat or you can reserve a full table of 8 seats for $350.  For sale online through our friends at Brown Paper Tickets.  We usually sell out, so buy your tickets now!

Read more…

Or you can download the PDF and print it yourself: BNCO-Newsletter-Dec-2011.pdf

• Immunizations, vaccinations
• Maternal and newborn health treatment (pre- and post- natal care)
• Family planning programs
• Health education programs
• Out-patient treatment
• Patient health data collection, research and analysis
• Community health data collection, research and analysis

Soon we will start providing the following services:

• Labor and delivery of newborn children
• HIV Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT)
• Nutritional Education

Although ROMC is a general clinic, 75% of our patients are children under 12 years old.  We are working in one of the poorest areas of Addis Ababa.  Common patient problems include HIV, TB, URI (upper respiratory infections), bacterial infections (amoebas, typhoid, giardia).

Leading up to our approval as a Medium clinic, we have treated more than 1000 patients.  Our Health Education program graduated 190 women from its eight week programs, and we have 150 women on the waiting list.  The clinic has over 100 clients receiving contraception and has conducted thousands of health interviews with women in the two sub-cities that surround the clinic.  As these numbers show, ROMC has already been an important resource to the community, and now that we have achieved Medium level status, this will only become more so.

Many thanks to everybody who contributed at our fundraiser in February to help make this possible!

Selam hit the ground running when in October, 2010, not long after her arrival, the ROMC began regularly scheduled clinic hours.  The clinic opened, providing basic first aid, limited infection treatment, limited vaccines, well child check-ups, contraception and health training to the surrounding community.  Opening the clinic for regularly scheduled hours was a major milestone for ROMC.

I had an opportunity to visit Ethiopia in February 2011.  We do our best to maintain communications across the continents, but nothing can substitute for being there in person.  During my visit, I observed the clinic in operation, visited with families in their homes, and attended meetings between the BNCO and the government.

About two dozen local residents attended the day clinic at ROMC and received health care consultation during my visit.  An upset stomach, skin abrasions, and tooth decay were a few of the medical issues presented, with a handful of vaccinations rounding out the clinic day.

The orphans and caregivers welcomed Selam and me into their homes.  I asked them questions about themselves as well as how they were making financial ends meet.  They described situations where caregivers performed hard manual labor such as carrying wood, bricks, or rocks for about US$1.00 per day or US$30 per month.  If a caregiver is fortunate to have a partner who also earns US$30, that US$60 covers the cost of basic food for a family of five.  Of course, not every caregiver has a partner despite supporting a family of five or more.  One woman we met was supporting eight children.  None of the eight children were her own but were children of her sisters, brothers, or neighbors.  Other living expenses, including rent, transportation and medicine, often exceed most caregivers’ monthly income.  The need is so great.

I had an opportunity to join Sisay, BNCO’s government liason, for a meeting at two different Ethiopian government agencies.  With the government, we discussed the plan for continued free land use by BNCO.  The ROMC land was generously donated by the Ethiopian government on the condition that the ROMC upgrade services from a low-level clinic to a medium-level clinic within a year of opening.  Selam and the BNCO board worked together to develop and execute an upgrade plan.

The upgrade plan had to meet the needs of the Ethiopian community and the Ethiopian government while ensuring fiscal responsibility in spending the funds donated by generous BNCO supporters.   A doctor, three nurse midwives on rotation, a druggist, a lab technician, support staff, as well as beds, chairs, an autoclave, and other medical supplies were budgeted.  The upgrade plan included health and nutrition education, family planning, immunization, patient and community health data collection and maternal and new born care.  Based on our calculations, the clinic requires approximately US$2000/month to operate at this level.  Fundraising is the primary source of income to financially support the clinic.  Your donations are greatly appreciated and critically needed.

Although it took slightly more than a year, and included more than a few hiccups, we achieved this critical goal of certification to operate at a Medium level.  This status ensures that BNCO will continue to be able to use the land on which ROMC is built.  We are grateful to the Ethiopian government for providing us use of the land, and look forward to future collaborations.

We are now planning the next BNCO fundraiser, which will be on March 3rd 2012 in Bloedel Hall at St. Mark’s Cathedral.  We hope you plan to attend.  Proceeds will support our operations in Ethiopia.  Mark your calendars, and watch for more details as we get closer.  We look forward to seeing you there.  Thank you.

Sincerely,

Mark Kuiper
BNCO Board President

Funding these improvements was the focus of BNCO’s fundraiser, held earlier this year.  We have used these funds to buy equipment to furnish a medical laboratory and enable the clinic to deliver vaccines.  Our maternity ward is now fully equipped as well, but is waiting for a few more infrastructure improvements before we start to deliver babies on site.  One of the final requirements for certification was the construction of an incinerator for medical waste.  We have also hired and trained staff including a physician and 24 hour midwife services.  Pictures of these improvements are shared on our Facebook page.

During the past year the clinic has treated more than 1,000 patients.  Our Health Education program graduated 190 women from its eight week programs and maintains a long waiting list for future classes.  The clinic has 189 clients receiving contraception and has conducted thousands of health interviews with women in the two sub-cities that surround the clinic.

Thank you for all of your support in getting us this far!

Here are pictures of some of the equipment your donations have been helping to buy.  We look forward to being officially certified as Medium Level Clinic by the Ethiopian Health Ministry.

Also, we’ve made our calendar of events easier to use.  There is an easy to read monthly display on the calendar page.  Also, you can add BNCO’s events to your Google Calendar by clicking “Add a friend’s calendar” on the left side and typing calendar@bluenile.org or by using this iCal address in iCal or Outlook.

Want to know more about the clinic?  Read more about it.  Want to know where it is?  We just found it on a map.  Click on over to google maps to see a bird’s eye view of it.  Although many of us working with BNCO have been there repeatedly, we were very excited to see that its bright red roof is clearly visible in satellite images of the Addis Ababa area.  (You might have to click on the satellite button in the upper right part of the map.)

As we expand the services offered at the clinic, this will increasingly become a community hub — a place that helps families lead healthier, more productive lives.  If you’d like to help us achieve this vision, consider donating to support the clinic’s operation.