The MSC Stefania

Mae Kellum has found a website to track "our" ship. The container for Kibimba Hospital is being transferred today to the MSC Stefania and according to the schedule shown, should arrive in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania on the 28th or the 30th. We were told that once it arrived in Dar, it would take something over 2 weeks for it to be unloaded and transferred to the truck. Then it will take another week or so for it to travel overland to Kibimba. Keep praying!

Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow! (and flow!)

Thanks to God's abundant provision and perfect timing, a 40-foot container, completely stuffed with medical equipment, medicines, layettes, and VBS supplies is on a ship headed for Burundi. This phase of the project would never have been completed without the generosity and obedience of the people of EFC-MAYM.

The second phase of the container project will happen in mid-July. The container will arrive in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania and then be transported by truck to Kibimba. Three of our board members, David & Mae Kellum and Dick Long will be traveling to Burundi to supervise and assist with preparations for the container’s arrival. This will include construction of a concrete pad for the container to sit on for future storage use, as well as re-wiring some of the hospital facility to accommodate the equipment when it is installed. They will depart from Wichita, KS on July 17.

On July 26, several more people from our board who have medical knowledge will be going to Burundi to help with unpacking, setup and organization of the equipment and supplies. These include Fran Sigley and her son Owen, Twila Flowers, and Willard & Doris Ferguson. They will spend several days ensuring that everything is properly stored, helping to install and train the hospital staff on the equipment, and making sure that everything we send will be used effectively to increase the impact of the hospital in the area.

You can watch this blog for news from Kibimba Hospital as the container arrives and is opened and unpacked. It will be so wonderful to see the excitement & celebration as the people there see what God has provided through the generosity of His people in the States.

Packing the Container

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Hospitals of Hope and our friends Mike Wawrzewski and Daniel White. They, along with volunteers from Friends of Kibimba Hospital and others spent countless hours sorting, counting, and packing equipment and supplies for the container. An article about the project appeared in the April 4, 2008 Wichita Eagle.

How Can You Get Involved?

First and most importantly, you can pray.

Second, you can help make others aware of the needs of Kibimba Hospital. Members of FKH would appreciate the opportunity to speak at churches to explain the vision for the hospital, as well as the need for funds to support Dr. Nahimana and help with refurbishing the facility and repairing equipment. If you would like to have them at your church, please contact David & Mae Kellum.

Next, you can make financial donations to help with the costs of restoring Kibimba Hospital. Funds may be sent to Friends Ministry Center, 2018 W. Maple, Wichita, KS 67213. Please designate your gifts “Kibimba Hospital Project.”

If you would be interested in being a member of a medical or construction team to visit the Kibimba Hospital in the future, please make your interest known to FKH. Teams will be formed as needs become evident.

Kibimba Hospital today

Dr. Nahimana and his staff are treating patients at Kibimba. In 2005, there were 13,360 outpatients, 3,003 inpatients, 723 baby deliveries, and 172 AIDS tests administered. Water and electricity supplies are better, but still not ideal. Dr. Nahimana is training the staff in matters of hygiene, as well as performing surgeries as needed.

FKH members are working to prioritize needs, raise awareness, and seek funding and support for the many needs at Kibimba Hospital. With the guidance of experienced missionaries and U.S. medical professionals, we believe that Kibimba Hospital can become a valuable resource for physical healing and spiritual witness in the Kibimba area.

Dr. NAHIMANA Elisee

Dr. Nahimana is the third child of Pastor Bahenda, and was born at Kibimba Hospital. He is a surgeon, who studied in Madagascar with financial support from Friends Women in MAYM. He returned to work at Kibimba Hospital from 1990-1993 as a physician and director, but was forced to flee the country during the war. During the years he was away from Burundi, he continued his study of surgery in the Ivory Coast.

Dr. Nahimana has recently returned to Kibimba Hospital with two dreams, to “see it rehabilitated and treat many sick persons who come there as it was during the period Dr. Rawson was there” and “to bring patients to Jesus because our physical life is for a small time but our spiritual life will live for eternity.”

What is Friends of Kibimba Hospital about?

In 1934, Arthur and Edna Chilson established the first Friends mission station in Burundi at Kibimba. The mission grew as homes, churches and schools were built. Through the years, Friends missionaries ministered to the Burundi people by telling them about Christ, teaching their young people in primary and secondary schools, and giving medical attention in improvised clinics. These clinics were located under eucalyptus trees, then in small dispensaries, and in 1955 the Kibimba Hospital was built and originally supervised by Dr. Perry Rawson. EFC-MAYM nurses who worked there include Doris Ferguson, Twila Jones Cody, Bob Shaffer and Geraldine Custer. The hospital thrived and thousands of people were shown the love of Christ through its staff.

The hospital continued to function through the civil unrest of recent decades, though in a limited capacity due to water and electricity supply disruptions, lack of adequate staff, and many other difficulties. Several teams from Mid-America Yearly Meeting have visited in recent years, and worked to improve electrical and water systems, as well as treating patients alongside the Burundi medical staff .

It was during these visits that the vision for restoring the Kibimba Hospital to its best condition was inspired. The Friends of Kibimba Hospital (FKH) came together in the fall of 2006 to try to determine how people in the U.S. could partner with those in Burundi to accomplish this goal.

Welcome to Friends of Kibimba Hospital

This blog has been created to allow our supporters and friends to keep up with the Friends of Kibimba Hospital project. More to come!