Hi everyone and welcome to our latest Blog
Since we last wrote much has happened and has been really
busy here at the hospital, both with patients needing treatment within the
hospital and projects impacting the hospital. It would have been nice to take a
bit of a break on this Easter weekend but unfortunately the holiday is not
recognised here, other than the Monday being a holiday, so work continues as
normal with Sue working in the hospital all weekend and with me overseeing
project progress. However we do have a short private visit to the UK for 3
weeks leaving next weekend 12th so are really looking forward to
seeing our family, friends and getting a bit of break.
As you will know BMS has been actively raising funds for the
construction of a new Maternity building to cater for the growing number of
women who come to the hospital to give birth. Well amazingly the target was
reached and funds have now arrived to enable the construction to start. This
has meant searching for a reliable construction company, agreeing a contract, a
payment and build schedule etc. before finally selecting a company who could
complete the build within our budget and time scales, which thankfully has been
achieved. Then on the 2nd March the project started with clearing the land,
erecting security fencing and building a secure workers hut and equipment
store. This was swiftly followed by the delivery of the necessary materials,
drilling of a new well for the water supply needed and the start of making of the
hundreds of bricks required for the build. Within a week the construction crew
arrived on site and the foundations of the build started to be dug. Now a month
later the 1st phase of the project is almost complete, requiring
verification before moving onto stage 2 and the erecting of the walls. Progress
has been swift and without problem with the team selected being very
professional and hard working all overseen by a young lady engineer, which
seems strange here in a very male dominated environment, but who ensures all is
done correctly and is very much in control. 
The construction team of around 30 from surrounding villages
all need to be housed, fed and of course paid by the company employing them, so
is quite a responsibility for Aaron the employer. His team have all worked
together previously but are only employed when there is work, at all other
times they need to seek employment elsewhere if possible or simply wait for the
next job opportunity. Given there is no unemployment benefits here this can be
very difficult. How do you plan for this, continue to provide for your family and
survive, so this project is providing much needed employment and an income for
some. 
Amazingly this past month we also heard from our supporters
in America of a single church who donated all the funds necessary to complete
the building of an external wall to secure all the land we have been given. This
will ensure we don’t lose the land back to the government, will secure the new
Maternity build, which is outside of our existing wall, and enable us to
seriously plan for the future use of all the land. This project back in January
at our board meeting was thought to be far too ambitious and expensive so wasn’t
going to be progressed, however God obviously had other plans!
So we needed to find another company for this work, agree contracts etc. which has also been achieved and work has started.On meeting the boss, Anthony, this morning and being taken on a tour of the work so far, I was really impressed by the amount of work already completed. He has employed a total of 50 local people from the surrounding villages again giving much needed work. These have been split into 4 teams working on different aspects of the wall construction, brick building, digging the holes for foundations, making the supports and those actually installing. This has meant that the complete exterior wall has been marked out and holes dug thus securing the land and forcing local traffic to divert around us. The installation of a water pump and the construction of the office site for security has also been completed plus the making of the many bricks needed has started. The local community appear pleased and impressed by the ongoing work with no issues, please pray that this continues.
Standing in the centre of all the building work going on around
me I was suddenly struck by how large a plot of land we have been given and the
responsibility this places upon us. If it can all be used wisely this hospital
will be a very substantial facility in the future. God is good.
Thank you all for your continued support and donations to
enable this work to continue, you are changing and improving people’s lives.
Blessings
Malc & Sue