“FOR BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED THROUGH FAITH .
AND THIS IS NOT YOUR OWN DOING;
IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD, NOT A RESULT OF WORKS, SO THAT NO ONE MAY BOAST” .
EPHESIANS 2: 8-9
I spent last weekend at the WELS National Choral fest observing our High School teens sing thier hearts
out in praises to our Lord and Savior. It was an inspiring and emotional thing to be a part of and as I sat
there watching friends and family members snap pictures of proud moments of their loved ones, I was
reminded of who ultimately deserves praise for the gifts of music and talent.
This month, I would encourage you to remember the Bible verse from Ephesians I shared above. We
cannot earn God’s grace by the things that we do or the accomplishments we experience here on this
earth. Heaven is a gift, freely given. Take some time to reflect and give thanks to God for the fact that we
don’t need to live up to a certain standard or demonstrate to Him that we are worthy of His grace. We
can enjoy the peace and certainty that is ours because Jesus died for us.
This month’s newsletter is written by Beth Evans, who serves as the CAMM Nurse Advisor. It is another
example of the blessings that God has showered on the mission of CAMM and another reason to give Him
thanks.
As a reminder, if you are looking to donate, copy the link below into your web browser. If you are
interested in sending needed items to our clinics in Africa, check out:
https://www.camm.us/howtohelp/
You will find addresses and shipping instructions. As always, please reach out if you have any questions
and thank you for your support of CAMM!
God’s Blessing,
Stephanie Otto
cwc.camm@gmail.com
Contact Women Coordinator
CAMM.US
Facebook: facebook.com/CAMM.WELS
MONETARY Donations:
Check (Payable to Central Africa Medical Mission)
Mailed to:
WELS Gift Processing
N16 W23377 Stone Ridge Drive
Waukesha WI 53188
Donate online
www.camm.us/donate-to-camm
FOCUS ON ANTENATAL CLINICS
At the Lutheran Mobile Clinic (LMC) in Malawi and the Lutheran Mission Rural Health Center
(LMRHC) in Zambia, our African staff provide essential preventive health services in poor rural
villages. One of these services is antenatal care, which offers healthcare and guidance for women
throughout their pregnancies. The Malawi government sees antenatal clinics as vital in lowering
the maternal and infant mortality rates in the country. It is primarily nurse-midwives who run
these clinics, and who provide the screenings, teaching and care which pregnant women in rural
Zambia and Malawi count on to stay well and have healthy babies.
Our clinics offer antenatal clinic once weekly at each site, and normally, women come for
three to five visits during their pregnancies. The first visit includes HIV testing and counseling for
the pregnant woman and her husband. The women are also routinely tested for syphilis, as these
two infections can be treated before they harm the baby. A hemoglobin test is done to check for
anemia, blood pressure and weight are taken, and tetanus vaccine is given. A fundal exam of the
abdomen is done in a private room to check the size, heart rate and position of the baby. Our
midwives are grateful to now have new electronic hand-held dopplers for quickly hearing the
fetal heart tones. A midwife reviews the mother’s health history and checks for signs of preeclampsia:
edema (swelling) of face or hands, urine protein, headaches, sudden weight gain, and high blood pressure.
If problems are found, a woman will need to be referred to the hospital.
Malaria is especially dangerous in pregnancy as it destroys red blood cells in the mother and
affects vital organs. If a woman is anemic or has symptoms of malaria, she is tested, then treated
and referred if positive. The moms are given a mosquito net for use at home at the first visit and a
dose of antimalarial medication is given at each visit after the first trimester. Deworming
medicine is given once after 13 weeks to prevent another cause of anemia. Moms also receive
iron/folic acid pills to be taken daily, they are placed in a hand-sewn cloth bag containing a Bible
verse.
Along with these screenings, medications and exams, the nurses take time to do teaching with groups of the women, covering topics such as nutrition, birth preparedness, danger signs, and the importance of delivering in a health center, rather than at home. They stress the necessity of bringing the baby in for a postnatal check and then returning to start their babies in under-fives clinic. The moms are given a layette, including a onesie, hat and blanket for their new babies.
Violet Chikwatu, Nurse in Charge, shared a story of a woman named Malita, pregnant at 19 years old, who first came to our LMC antenatal clinic in Malawi at 30 weeks gestation on July 18th. She looked pale, and her hemoglobin was only 5.4 g/dl. This meant she’d have to go to the government hospital in Lilongwe for a blood transfusion, since her Hb was under 7.5. She had no fever or other symptoms of illness but was tested for malaria and was positive. She received the initial injection to treat the malaria, then went to the hospital for further treatment. She returned in two weeks with an improved Hb of 9.2 and was given her iron tablets. Violet found out that she then delivered a healthy baby at Chiwamba Health Center on September 13. Malita is just one example of how God has provided this opportunity for our nurse-midwives to help save the lives of women and their babies in rural Malawi.
In Zambia, our medical staff deliver 120-130 infants per year. Antenatal care helps to ensure that these mothers are healthy enough to have safe deliveries at the LMRHC. This month, CAMM is providing a portable neonatal ultrasound machine for our midwives to use in monitoring infants in utero when necessary. Future Biloyi, Nurse-Midwife, was trained in its use when she had her midwife certification and is happy to be able to use this skill and to train others. We are thankful for an American physician who Gary and I knew in Malawi who donated this ultrasound to our clinic. Monetary donations to CAMM provided the ipad for it and the fetal dopplers used at the LMC and LMRHC. The Central Africa Medical Mission continues to provide a high standard of physical care, along with meeting spiritual needs of our patients in Zambia and Malawi. God is blessing this work through your gifts and prayers. Thank you so much!
Your sister in Christ,
Beth Evans
CAMM Nurse Advisor
