Cultural Beliefs Hinder Medical Treatment The concept of late presentation of patients to hospital is a never-ending phenomenon at Hatfield Archer Memorial hospital and in fact, it gets worsen each year. The socioeconomic, cultural believes and the high rate of illiteracy are factors always eating deep into the minds of people in their communities. Each time we received a critical patient (most of which are children), we put up our utmost best to make sure that patient survives. This is not only because we want to fulfill our responsibility of saving lives, but to also prove to these communities that

Rice Prices Increase Again As we have reported in previous newsletters, as part of the Madonna Program, Mission of Hope provides a 12.5 kg bag of rice to a new mother when she is discharged from the Rotifunk Hospital after giving birth and another 12.5 kg bag of rice at her 6 week check up.  In addition, Madonna patients are provided 2 meals per day while in the Hospital and rice is always on the menu.  Thus, the Hospital is in the business of buying rice, the staple of all meals in Sierra Leone. Unfortunately, the reality is that the

Hernia Surgery Saves Lives A generous donor provided a generous grant to enable the Rotifunk Hospital staff, along with staff brought in from other hospitals, to perform more than 140 inguinal hernia repairs in September and October for male swamp rice farmers who live along the Bumpeh District, downriver from Rotifunk.  Nearly 70% of all employed individuals in Sierra Leone work in agriculture and the work of swamp rice farmers, in particular, involves extremely strenuous manual labor due to the nature of the physical maintenance of the crops.  In recent surveys, one in five farmers are unable to work at