News – What has been Accomplished!

We’re just back from another very successful medical mission trip to the Mtunthama/Kasungu area of Malawi.  This was perhaps our saddest trip and the trip characterized by our greatest accomplishments to date.  The sadness is due to the fact that there is an ongoing famine due to crop failure from drought which was just beginning when we left last year.  Now that drought/famine is coming to pass because last year’s corn crop was affected, and, unfortunately, it will only get worse because this year’s crop is failing too.

When we found out about the famine, we were able to raise over $6600 for the purchase of corn to be distributed in the countryside in the catchment area of our Malawi NGO partner K2 TASO.  We helped distribute this corn as part of our trip, travelling a few hours to rural villages or dispensing it from the new K2 TASO headquarters near St. Andrews Hospital. This was particularly poignant because we saw severely malnourished kids in the hospital, including one who was so emaciated that he died within two days of admission despite efforts to feed him effectively.  Our high school students had the extraordinary opportunity to shake the hands of those Malawian families receiving corn from BTM as a result of our fundraising efforts, which included the generosity of the kids’ parents.
Continue reading “Mission to Mthunthama/Kasungu”

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!

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.

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.

Voices-of-Malawi

Dr. Brian Lisse talk at Auburndale United Parish Church February 2015

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.

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.

This year we were preceded by Lauren Rissman, a Tufts 4^th 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 3^rd 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”