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A Face of Courage in Zimbia

Nov. 26, 2014

KAZEMBA, ZAMBIA:
Chifundo Rural Health Center

Malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia, HIV, leprosy, burns, labor & delivery – these are just some of the reasons people go to the Chifundo Rural Health Center in Kazemba, Zambia. The Center operates with one physician, one nurse, and an office manager. In addition to treating those in their immediate area, they also care for many from distant cities and provinces. Let’s meet one little boy through the words of Dr. Marjorie Heier:

Manex and his walker

“Manex was excited to show me what he could do, and quickly asked that his walker be brought! But, he also wanted his oldest brother to bring a picture that they had taken. In it, Manex is standing with his walker, shoes on, and with the smart black hat that matches Derrick’s! He has a witty grin on his face!

It has been an awesome experience to see this young man develop, who shivered, lying in the fetal position and huddling alone in the hut, when I first came. When his family brought him out, he tried hard to reach out, but contractures of his arms prevented this. He tried to stand, but his skinny legs shook uncontrollably. It’s hard to even recognize that weak and sick young child in the bright young four year old that he has become … Manex can stand for at least five minutes. He can lock his breaks and use the walker to pull himself to a stand and then take off running. We are still working on form, and braking, but what a recovery for this little guy.

He, who could barely manage a few tablespoons of porridge in January, now feeds himself, and gulps down his protein supplement. This is the face of courage: to suffer all the neurologic complications of malaria, and still strive to achieve independence, while living at home in his rural village in Zambia. He is an inspiration!”

Manex’s story is just one of the many resulting from the hard work of dedicated individuals working in Zambia and throughout the world. Globus Relief’s mission to provide organizations, such as Chifundo Rural Health Center, with medical support is a direct result of generous donations of medical supplies, instruments, and equipment. To contribute, please contact Globus Relief.

About the Author

Globus Relief

Globus Relief was founded in 1996. While working in the salvage retail industry, two Salt Lake City businessmen were saddened to see viable medical and hygiene supplies frequently sent to landfills. Certain that these surplus resources could be rescued and put to good use, they created Globus Relief to efficiently channel overstocked, gently used, or short-dated supplies to humanitarian projects in Utah and around the world.

Since our founding, Globus Relief has distributed over $1 billion (fair market value) of supplies to more than 800 charities at work in over 140 countries. Twenty full-time employees oversee the work of gathering, processing, and distributing humanitarian supplies in our 100,000-s.f. warehouse in Salt Lake City, Utah. Volunteers contribute an average of 225 labor hours per week, the equivalent of 5.6 additional full-time employees.

Globus Relief is known for strong financial efficiency, historically keeping administrative and fundraising expenses to under 3% of our total budget.