All preparations are almost finished and our 2016 medical team, which also includes 12 high school students, will be departing soon for our annual trip to Mtunthama, Malawi to help provide healthcare and bring desperately needed medications, supplies, and funds to help support our partners at St. Andrew’s Hospital, Kasungu District Hospital, and K2 TASO. This year we will be bringing a portable EKG machine to the District Hospital after it was purchased for us by Steve Albino of Hudson, MA. Thanks so much, Steve! St. Andrews and K2 TASO have asked us to help come up with funds to support their efforts to provide emergency nutritional supplementation to those suffering from the famine currently afflicting much of Malawi. We have raised over $4,300 in the last 2 months just for this purpose. Thanks to all our supporters for this additional help!
Category: News
Presenting at the Central Mass Rotary Foundation
We, working closely with our Nashoba Valley Rotary Club partners, especially Richard Simon, Asst District Gov. of Rotary District 7910, have continued to pursue our efforts to raise awareness and money for our BTM Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) operations in Malawi. Dr. Lisse and his wife spent 3 days in the Schenectady, NY area as guests of Rotarians Lon and Helen Penna. Lon had arranged talks at 6 Rotary Clubs as a means of fundraising and informing Rotarians about BTM’s efforts/mission with special emphasis on our goal of a joint IRS operation. All talks were well attended and received. We are currently awaiting a final answer about the level of financial support from the Rotary. We have been told that we have already jointly raised over $60,000 with a goal overall of about $87,000 which will enable us to protect 20,000 villagers from malaria in the Mtunthama area over 2 years, starting in 2016. Following the trip to NY, Dr. Lisse gave a presentation at the Central Mass Rotary Foundation and has since also given a presentation to the Natick Rotary Club.
Annual High School Contest
BTM just finished the annual high school contest. There were a record 17 students this year. We had a tie between Nicole Wynne of Marlborough High and Isaac Mcrae of Nashoba Regional High School. Moreover, it looks like we will have the biggest group of high school students (12) ever go with us this year.
Dr. Brian Lisse talk at Auburndale United Parish Church February 2015
Malaria statistics
Current Malaria statistics and results of IRS (Indoor Residual Spraying) September 2015:
Based on data provided by the Wimbe, Mtunthama, St. Andrews, and Njoobvu Health Centers/Post, the pre-IRS malaria rate between Jan 1, 2014 and June 31, 2014 (measuring only those who identified themselves as sick, which grossly under-represents the true number of malaria infected persons) was 704 people out of a population of 4301 (villages of Makanda, Mphepo, and Chinemba). This is 16% of the population. Post-IRS malaria positive rate was 173 persons (3.9%) out of an increased population of 4406 during the period from October 1, 2014-March 31, 2015.
Pumain CPAP machine donated with our help saving neonatal lives!
Dear Brian,
On behalf of my fellow health workers and on my own behalf I write to thank you and the rest of Bridges To Malawi once again for the Pumani CIPAP machine which has already proven to be so resourceful in the prevention of neonatal deaths from respiratory distress. So far fourteen neonates were put on the machine and nine of them are alive right now. Have a blessed week.
Peter Minjale
14th June, 2015,
We at St. Andrew’s hospital in Malawi continue to thank you and the entire Bridges To Malawi in USA for the timely support of the Pumani CPAP machine which Bridges To Malawi gave us. This machine is helping in the prevention of death from respiratory distress in neonates especially preterm ones. Photos above are for a mother and her preterm baby with respiratory distress benefitting from the CPAP machine. The Oxygen concentrator shown is also a donation from Bridges to Malawi.
Thanks to Bridges To Malawi.
God bless you all.
Peter Minjale (Medical In-charge, St. Andrew’s Hospital) (Unfortunately I have not figured out how to upload the pictures he refers to. I will put them on my facebook page, however. Brian Lisse)
Our Process for Applying for the Rotary Club International Matching Grant
In May 2015 We began the process of applying for a Rotary Club International Matching Grant via our partners at the Nashoba Valley Rotary club.
In June 2015, We sent a letter to President Obama.
In July 2015. We re-sent the letter since we got no response.
In August 2015. We received a nice form letter from the White House and won’t pursue this further.
March 2015 Medical Trip
This year we were preceded by Lauren Rissman, a Tufts 4th year medical student, who spent the month of Feb working with Peter Minjale at St. Andrews. She had an amazing time and said she would spread the word at Tufts about how wonderful the experience was.
On March 14, 2015 this year’s Bridges to Malawi group, which included Drs Lisse and Hangen and old friend Dr. John Lozada as well as Josh Tello, RN and his wife Jenny, LISCW; Mariah Latzka and Kristina Pollock (2 Univ of Hawaii 3rd year nursing students); Samantha Lozada, NYU sophomore; and 10 high school students (Ruth Schade, this year’s contest winner; Brendan McMullen; Samantha Vaccaro; Jazmin Murillo; Nicole Wynne; Natalie Betez;Hannah Carroll; Kayla Monteiro (veteran of last year’s trip); Olivia Beaudoin; and Baylee Loewen. Continue reading “March 2015 Medical Trip”
January/February 2015 Status Letter
16th February 2015 Status Email
We are very excited that the second phase of the IRS is finished now covering three villages AND that Peter Minjale says there are no mosquitoes in any of these 3 villages. He also says that, although they are seeing malaria cases at St. Andrews, NONE of these cases have been from the villages where the spraying has been done!
29th January 2015.
Dear Brian,
K2 TASO IRS EXERCISE IN MAKANDA VILLAGE, KASUNGU, MALAWI
On behalf of K2 TASO I wish to give you the following photographic report as we started the second phase IRS exercise in Makanda village. This exercise helps in killing mosquitoes once the mosquitoes get in contact with the sprayed surfaces.
We are very grateful to Bridges Malawi for your support to K2 TASO in order to implement the exercise. We will send you data upon completion of the exercise. Tomorrow we will start IRS in Mphepo village.
Kind regards.
Peter.