How I Became a Nurse -Christina Mtonga

When I was less than 10 years old, I decided I wanted to become a nurse because the nurses had nice houses with electricity and good locations. I was raised by her father and stepmother since my parents separated long before I remember. I experienced many hardships because my stepmother did not care for me. On school holidays, I had to walk on foot all the way home and often went without basic things like sugar and soap. Despite the hardships, I always took position #1 in my class. I overcame the hardships and became a nurse. Now I am proud to provide surgical care to patients in partnership with AHA.

Read more

Patient Spotlight: Judith

Judith is a farmer at Ndaula who lives in a mud-brick house with a grass roof. She owns a bicycle and one chicken. Her home is 40 minutes from the nearest health center and also 40 minutes from the nearest source of electricity, which is a barber shop near her community. She collects water from a nearby borehole for use at home. Ndaula is located near Dzalanyama Forest Reserve on the Mozambique border with Malawi, which is a long distance on difficult roads from any of the referral centers.

Read more

Access to Surgery for Lilongwe’s Rural Communities

When AHA first began doing surgery in the village of Kabudula (Kab) in 2014, international visitors completed most of the procedures, and only very minor procedures could be done when we weren’t there. The road from Lilongwe to Kab was dirt, and only one clinician had experience in minor surgeries and could independently complete minor procedures. Yet there were hundreds of patients with untreated surgical conditions around Kab trading center alone, and services had not yet been extended to the surrounding rural health centers.

Read more

The Frequent Challenges of Hosting a Surgical Camp

Global Health Fellow Angela published a recent blog discussing the many, many aspects of planning a surgical camp. As anyone who has traveled, planned a large event, or works in the medical field can imagine, rural surgical camps rarely go exactly to plan. That’s why we’re so thankful to have Angela and our partners from Kab and KCH who are committed to patient care and flexible in the face of obstacles.

Read more