January 2019 Trip to Tikonko

[The above picture is from a meeting at the Mbaomi Mothers’ Home on January 10, 2019 of RHCI volunteers Neil Craigan, Carol Nelson and Alice Karpeh and RHCI in-country director Manley Jongopie and staff from Mercy Hospital in Bo.]

Six Minnesota volunteers traveled to Tikonko this January, evaluating programs, furthering relationships, providing trainings, listening to stories, doing photography and launching a new project. They were welcomed by the people of the Chiefdom, including the Paramount Chief Macavoray, the new Parliamentarian Sama Sandy, the RHCI in-country staff and the Community Health Workers.

Board members Neil Craigan, Alice Karpeh, and Carol Nelson were joined by RHCI volunteers Kim Davis, Jill Gibbs, and Nate Henry with the visits spanning December 30 through January 17.

A partial list of activities included:

• • Evaluation of the Mbao-mi Mothers’ Home and the garden/agriculture.
  • RHCI Tikonko Staff training and staff performance evaluations.
  • Meetings to collaborate with the new Tikonko Health Center staff, the Mbao-mi staff, and the Community Health Workers.
  • Helping Babies Breathe trainings (one day in Tikonko and another in at Mercy Hospital in Bo) in collaboration with Neonatologist Dr. Sulaiman Sannoh from New Jersey.
  • Developing relationships with the new District Medical Officer and his staff.
  • Meeting with staff and touring Bo Children’s Hospital and Mercy Methodist Hospital in Bo to coordinate our work together.
  • Photography (including drone video) of RHCI activities.
  • Visiting and assessing the Tikonko Chiefdom beyond Tikonko Town, including Kassama, Sembehun, Mokumba, Gbalehun, Julian, Lembema, Dodo, Nyama, Gondama and Mattru on the Rail.
  • Meeting with Nutritionist Mary Koroma to set the stage to begin the Positive Deviance Hearth Malnutrition Program in February, piloting in two villages.
  • Meetings with two Farmer Based Organizations supported by RHCI.
  • Activities at the Mbaomi Mothers’ Home including purchasing 4 additional treadle sewing machines, fabric, scissors and thread.
  • Inventory of the RHCI Campus including the buildings, their contents, and the container.

The trip was deemed very productive, with many people showing gratitude to RHCI for its partnership to reduce maternal and child mortality and the impact already experienced.

The volunteers wish to thank the in-country RHCI staff, Alice Koroma and Joseph Sogbandi for their assistance during this trip. RHCI cannot do its life-saving work in the Tikonko Chiefdom without them.