Category: Niger

April’s mission is usually our largest group and this year we saw the return of our “regulars”: Dr. Ralph Chesson, Dr. Karolynn Echols, Dr. Robert Gutman, Dr. Cynthia Hall, Dr. Star Hampton, Dr. Sharon Knight, Dr. Saifudden Mama, Dr. Briana Robinson-Walton, Dr. Fatai Ilupeju, Dr. Ricardo Palop, Janet Dewan, Nurse Anesthetist, Kathleen Scott, RN, and Holly Rae Stone, RN.

Joining our April team were Dr. Mark Helbraun, colon-rectal surgeon, Fellow Dr. Elisabeth Erekson, and Anesthesiologists, Dr. Kristi Pielstick and Dr. Yonas Tesfaye. RN’s Evangeline Epper and Mary White completed our medical team. John Alexander, our Director of IOWD’s Music Program at CES Rive Droite High School returned again to continue working with his students, and overseeing our supply room. Volunteer Matt Murray joined our team and was an invaluable member!

Dr. Lauren Eder, Professor at Rider University; Assistant Dean Stacy Parrado and John Sudol traveled with us as well. Rider University will be starting a program with the University in Niamey…beginning in January 2010, 10 Rider University students will visit Niamey and work with 10 Nigerien University students for an intense course in Business Literacy. Dr. Eder, Dean Parrado and Mr. Sudol came to Niger to finalize the preparations for this special exchange. They were welcomed with graciousness and warmth on the part of the Nigerien University Director and Professors. Choosing the final 10 Nigerien students will be very difficult as so many wish to participate in this program!

IOWD’s January 2009 mission in Niger included returning staff, Drs. Alfred Bent, Joan Blomquist, Tim McKinney, Greg Owens, Nurse Anesthetist Janet Dewan, Suzy Arencibia RN, Yolande Aqui RN, Louise Gilbert RN and Holly Rae Stone, RN. John Alexander, our wonderful friend who organized IOWD’s supply room and put all items on a spread sheet, returned again to continue his fabulous work teaching guitar to English Club students at our favorite High School.

Dr. Ahmed Safaan, urologist from Egypt(Ahmed spent 2 years working in Niger previously) brought a colleague, anesthesiologist, Dr. Sameh El Awady to round out the team at the National.

New to our group were Dr. Jose Amaya, anesthesiologist; and Fellows, Dr. Tatiana Sanses and Dr. Charu Dhingra. Nancy Strong, RN also joined this mission.

An incredible team made up of Dr. Josh Holden, Dr. Jacquin Matthews, Surgical Tech Angie Slagle, accompanied by our dedicated RN, Holly Rae Stone, took the Gazobe Maternity Hospital by storm! They worked with the new Stryker laparoscopic equipment ( donated through the efforts of Dr. Scott Eder), teaching the Residents how to handle this costly gift!! Thanks to the intense instruction, Residents at Gazobe are now performing surgeries numerous times a week using the Stryker equipment!

With the end of Ramadan and the celebration of Eid, our team arrived in Niger on October 12. The group included returning doctors Bruce Crawford, Rene Genadry, Soo Kwon, Gopal Badlani, Janet Li, Mike Conley, Jeffrey Freed, Scott Eder and Rehana Kauser. Dr. David Glazier, Dr. Aditya Dash, Dr. Suzanne Walczak and Dr. Julianna Schantz-Dunn joined the group as “first-timers”.

Our Nursing Director, Njoki Ng’ang’a, lead a team consisting of Jacqueline Green, Melanie Haller and Mid-wife, Katherine Erbe. Audrey Orell, Rita Steele, and Loni Steele were our non-medical volunteers.
IOWD team members presented both the National Hospital and Gazobe Maternity Hospital with approximately $400,000 worth of supplies, medicines and equipment. Among the machines donated were two cystoscopes, anesthesia monitors, heart and blood pressure monitors and two complete sets of laparoscopic equipment! Although we are grateful to so many American companies who have been exceptionally generous to IOWD’s program in Niger, we offer a special thanks to Stryker, Storz, Wolf, Olympus, Space Lab, Cardinal Health, Johnson&Johnson, Americares, and Hackensack University Medical Centre for all their fabulous donations on this particular trip.