SANA’s team carried out its second trip into the heart of Akkar’s Valley, to Qlaiaat. Today’s trip was carried out in collaboration with SANA’s most able partners, the team of World Vision Akkar…
Our meeting venue was the clinic at the Village Mosque where many mothers with their toddlers in tow, gathered awaiting SANA’s team, leaving their many daily chores behind…
The need was so incredibly obvious everywhere: alongside the roads, in the eyes of the mothers to be, and in the beautiful smiling toddlers so eager for any attention and so incredibly eager to please.
The focus of the mission today was providing prenatal care to mothers who ranged in age from 17 to 41. And of note is that our 17 year old is on her 4th pregnancy with 3 toddlers at home. Half of the patients seen today were on their 5th to 9th pregnancy, and most had had only one prenatal visit thus far, if any. In addition to routine evaluations and sonographic assessments, SANA provided medical counseling to several of the locals to whom a visit to the gynecologist is not feasible due to financial and societal constraints…
And again, the far-fetched implications of war and displacement were a predominant theme in today’s mission. One of the patients seen was a refugee with a missed abortion, in the first trimester of pregnancy, and in need of surgery. The war-inbred fear and lack of trust, to even the medical profession, had made her lose all faith, making her doubtful of the diagnosis and fearful of any purposeful wrong doing upon a hospital admission. As such, much time did SANA’s team spend gaining her trust and convincing her of her diagnosis and of the need to get proper medical care, which were arranged for by SANA’s partners: World Vision Akkar…
All nutritional supplements today were made courtesy of Mr. Dory Mansour.
And to conclude this long need-quenching day, SANA and World Vision Akkar headed back home along beautiful moors having made plans to provide more and more care to the neediest of the needy in the heart of the Akkar Valley…