RENEWED HOPE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION, INC.
Working Together For Zimbabwe's Future
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RENEWED HOPE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION, INC. Working Together For Zimbabwe's Future |
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| October 17, 2007 Dear Readers, This is a very important up-date. When we were in Zimbabwe last year, I wrote of the alarming prevalence of Bilharzia among the children. The hospital sent staff on two different days for the purpose of testing and treating children. Out of the more than 400 children tested 85 percent tested positive and were treated for the disease. This is an alarming number. When the hospital was asked to test all children in our care, they indicated that they couldn’t afford so much medicine. We were told that if we purchased the medicine they would do the testing and treat those who tested positive. Our prayer at that time until now is that someone would be moved to help us care for these children. Bilharzia is a parasite that lives in the water of rivers, ponds, etc. in many parts of Africa. The parasite is the larva of a snail that lives in the water. The parasite penetrates human skin and attacks most of the vital organs, even the brain in the advanced stages. It is life threatening if it goes untreated. One of the symptoms of the disease is black urine. It is easily cured with the administration of one dose of the proper medicine. A major problem is educating people to stay out of the water, especially children. However, it is easier said than done when laundry is often done in the rivers. Rivers and streams are an attraction to children when the weather is hot. It is easier to go to the rivers and streams for bathing than to carry buckets of water perhaps for miles. Even then the water may be carried from the nearest source, again a river or stream. Last year when we realized the seriousness of the disease, we prayed that a donor would come forth and make this project a reality. A church, a Rotary Club and one individual in California became the answer to our prayers and donated enough money for this purpose. Recently, the project was completed. I have been informed that there was enough medicine to even treat the children in three neighboring schools outside our Mission Area. The report we received from our Advisory Board said that the results were a shocking revelation regarding the infection rate and probably an indication that this could be a national problem. A comprehensive report was sent to the Ministry of Health….That set alarm bells ringing! Praise God for answering our prayer. Ralph and Roberta |
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Renewed Hope Charitable Foundation, Inc. | a 501(c)(3) charity | P.O. Box 1476 | Castle Rock, Colorado | 80104-1476
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