Samaritan’s Purse partners with a community in southern Niger to open a much needed health facility.
Samaritan’s Purse recently opened an integrated health center in Regaou village in Niger, an area that has historically high rates of malnutrition. Our center is a welcome addition for the impoverished region as it will significantly increase access to medical care for Regaou’s 11,000+ residents. Previously, the only medical care option was one nurse working out of a small hut without patient beds.
The new facility will create easier access to health care.
The center will offer both acute and preventive healthcare, with a special focus on caring for pregnant mothers and malnourished children.
Samaritan’s Purse partnered with the local community to construct the health center, as local people helped to provide building materials. The new facility includes medical equipment as well as office space.
“I want to thank the entire community—you have done us proud. We are excited about this day because of your partnership,” said Noah Obatsa, Samaritan’s Purse country director.
Local medical professionals also participated in the opening ceremony for the center.
“I am very happy that this inauguration day has come for the health center. We have been working with Samaritan’s Purse for a long time and they have greatly helped us,” said Chabi Franck, one of the lead doctors in the area.
Investing in the Future
Regaou is in the Tahoua region where Samaritan’s Purse has already opened several similar health centers and done other work such as mobile medical clinics, nutrition projects, COVID-19 infection prevention and control, and cholera treatment.
Samaritan’s Purse Country Director Noah Obatsa participated in the opening ceremony.
These efforts have resulted in a significant decline in malnutrition rates, a steady rise of vaccinations among children, and overall better health among adults, youth, and children.
“When we call on Samaritan’s Purse, they are always ready to serve,” said Prefect Rihssa Ahmado, who attended the ceremony.
The chief of Regaou said that his village has embraced the healthy habits encouraged by Samaritan’s Purse teams. “Ignorance is a danger for the population; let us seek to learn,” he said. “My prayer is that we continue to put into practice what Samaritan’s Purse has taught us.”
The Prefect also explained that while the new health center will greatly aid everyone in the community, mothers and expectant mothers will especially benefit from the nearby, convenient medical services.
“Pregnant women should never have to walk more than 40 kilometers just to have a consultation with a doctor,” he said.
Fatima is a community member who expressed gratitude for our teams coming to help her village during their time of need. “It was very difficult to get access to a health center, let alone a doctor. Sometimes children lost their lives because there was no health center,” she explained.
“Samaritan’s Purse has shown us love and faithfulness.”
For mothers in developing countries, giving birth is a dangerous prospect, instead of a joy-filled event. High mortality rates and complications among pregnant mothers claim the lives of women and babies. In Niger, we are building a home near Galmi Hospital, where mothers with high-risk pregnancies can stay while they wait to give birth. Your gift will help us build birthing wards, provide prenatal nutrition and education, and offer other life-saving care for expectant mothers and babies in Niger, Cambodia, and other countries worldwide.
