Seeing so much good change through the retroscope (not to be confused with the rectoscope), we now look to the future of Bere Adventist Hospital here in Podunk, Tchad.
We do not do handouts. We do not create dependence. We do not replace local employment with foreign employment if the expertise exists or can be created locally. We do not diminish people, take away their pride or claim to be superior. We do not help where one can be expected to help themselves.
So what do we do? We create temporary projects which empower and generate independence and lead to self-sufficiency and pride. And we witness. With this in mind, we set bold plans for the future. With our volunteers and philanthropic partners (that’s YOU!!!) and through God’s grace, we will accomplish great things next year! Below are our top priorities and ways you can join us in making these most critical needs a reality for the people of Bere and throughout Tchad.
We have virtually all the supplies necessary to finish construction. What we’re missing now is the expertise. In this entire district, there is no plumbing or electricity. So you can’t very well expect our local laborers to know what they’re doing along those lines. We are fervently praying for God to send us a volunteer, be it short-term or even long-term, who can help us complete the construction and perform the hospital maintenance Jamie so faithfully did.
But we’re open to all comers, including administration, accounting, pharmacy, evangelism, agriculture, medical, etc. We’re convinced everybody has something to give here. French is obviously a desirable skill (or Arabic), but is no prerequisite. The most important service one can render here is leading a life of Christian example.
We will continue to support the 17 students we have already taken on in medical and nursing school.
We are deciding to move forward in faith on our nursing school. The pieces are slowly falling into place. We have the shells of the buildings. The government provides a curriculum for private schools, which we will obviously improve upon. We have three Tchadian nurses with advanced degrees, plus a fourth finishing next year, plus Mason McDowell, our anesthetist with a doctor in nurse anesthesia. This school would save us the $24,000+ we paid this year sending other students to school. It will also allow us to create a better culture of quality nursing and spiritual care for our patients and to eventually send nurses out into the countryside. Another need is somebody to be the leader at our new nursing school. The ideal person would be a francophone nurse practitioner or physician's assistant. I don't know if they even exist in the French medical system. Or somebody with a masters. Or a physician, if he or she is interested in teaching nurses.
We are also deciding to move forward in faith building health centers. We have received dozens of requests to open health centers and hospitals. We will start with one and see how it goes. Typically, health centers are self-sustaining. And now we will have quality nurses to staff it and provide a good witness. While there is purpose in having a large training facility like Bere, where we can train, nurses, midwives, anesthetists and surgeons, the real work and witness is in rural health centers.
We will also be starting mobile clinics. We will load a Land Cruiser with supplies and head out to rural underserved villages and put on week-long public health programs. While teaching general public health, we will also be bringing members of our nutrition center to screen kids for malnutrition. We will also bring evangelists to preach the Gospel. We will also be sending out nurses and doctors to consult patients.
There are a few things which have possessed us to move forward now. Mostly, it’s a great guy named Mason McDowell and his wife Kim. Mason has taken over my anesthesia and pediatric responsibilities and Kim has taken over the school. I now finally have the time and energy to attend to the administrative and expansion responsibilities as well as my medical responsibilities. And there are other volunteers ready to either take on some of my responsibilities or help in these new projects.
So besides even more volunteers, what are we lacking?
Well, I’m proud to say we’re broke. AHI-Bere is officially broke. Zero money. AHI-Bere used to have loads of money. Historically, Bere has been the most financially-blessed AHI institution. However, we have spent all of it to get to where we are. I’m proud to say we’re broke, because we have spent all your donations on extremely important and productive projects and not just buried our talent in the ground. You can see all we’ve accomplished above. Much of it has gone to projects which further our goal of a financially-independent hospital. Your donation dollars have never gone to routine costs like nursing salaries. In fact, our hospital has made money, repaid debts, put money in the bank and made further investments this year. Oh how I wish you could come visit to see how much has changed! We have really done a TON with your contributions.
So there you have it, you who ask how you can help. You can come be a part of what we’re doing by the labor of your own hands. You can share this link on your Facebook page with a note that you would trust us to be good stewards of your tax-deductible donation dollars. Or be a part of what we do by making it financially possible.
AHI can take donations in many ways. You can pay by PayPal, check, phone, credit card, etc. Just mark it as Bere or send them an email indicating you made a donation and wish it to go to Bere. Another option is to shop through smile.amazon.com and list your preferred charity as Adventist Health International. Then 0.5% of your purchase price is donated to AHI. I don’t think there’s any specific way to make it go to Bere as opposed to the Global Fund at AHI, but we really love AHI and their Global Fund needs to be fed too.
Visit ahiglobal.org/main/donate-now/ for information on donating or click the PayPal link on our blog. And it’s tax-deductible, if you’re into that sort of thing in December.
You choose:
ahiglobal.org/main/donate-now/
909-558-4540
ahi@llu.edu or bbrewster@llu.edu
Adventist Health International
11060 Anderson Street
Loma Linda, CA 92350
Thank you once again for keeping us going long after we thought possible, be it via prayers, kind words or donations. We appreciate how you help shoulder the burden when we are taxed and hurt. We hope you feel proud sharing in our triumphs and trials. And we pray you share our hope for the future. Thank you immensely for spending your free time reading our blog. And thank you for partnering with us and trusting us with your hard-earned donations. We daily strive to please our Heavenly Father and be worthy of the faith both He and you have put in us.
And as always, we can be reached at danae.netteburg@gmail.com
love
olen and danae
missionarydoctors.blogspot.com
Olen Tigo: +235 91 91 60 32
Danae Tigo: +235 90 19 30 38
Olen et Danae Netteburg
Hopital Adventiste de Bere
52 Boite Postale
Kelo, Tchad
Afrique
Volunteers Welcome!!!
We do not do handouts. We do not create dependence. We do not replace local employment with foreign employment if the expertise exists or can be created locally. We do not diminish people, take away their pride or claim to be superior. We do not help where one can be expected to help themselves.
So what do we do? We create temporary projects which empower and generate independence and lead to self-sufficiency and pride. And we witness. With this in mind, we set bold plans for the future. With our volunteers and philanthropic partners (that’s YOU!!!) and through God’s grace, we will accomplish great things next year! Below are our top priorities and ways you can join us in making these most critical needs a reality for the people of Bere and throughout Tchad.
We have virtually all the supplies necessary to finish construction. What we’re missing now is the expertise. In this entire district, there is no plumbing or electricity. So you can’t very well expect our local laborers to know what they’re doing along those lines. We are fervently praying for God to send us a volunteer, be it short-term or even long-term, who can help us complete the construction and perform the hospital maintenance Jamie so faithfully did.
But we’re open to all comers, including administration, accounting, pharmacy, evangelism, agriculture, medical, etc. We’re convinced everybody has something to give here. French is obviously a desirable skill (or Arabic), but is no prerequisite. The most important service one can render here is leading a life of Christian example.
We will continue to support the 17 students we have already taken on in medical and nursing school.
We are deciding to move forward in faith on our nursing school. The pieces are slowly falling into place. We have the shells of the buildings. The government provides a curriculum for private schools, which we will obviously improve upon. We have three Tchadian nurses with advanced degrees, plus a fourth finishing next year, plus Mason McDowell, our anesthetist with a doctor in nurse anesthesia. This school would save us the $24,000+ we paid this year sending other students to school. It will also allow us to create a better culture of quality nursing and spiritual care for our patients and to eventually send nurses out into the countryside. Another need is somebody to be the leader at our new nursing school. The ideal person would be a francophone nurse practitioner or physician's assistant. I don't know if they even exist in the French medical system. Or somebody with a masters. Or a physician, if he or she is interested in teaching nurses.
We are also deciding to move forward in faith building health centers. We have received dozens of requests to open health centers and hospitals. We will start with one and see how it goes. Typically, health centers are self-sustaining. And now we will have quality nurses to staff it and provide a good witness. While there is purpose in having a large training facility like Bere, where we can train, nurses, midwives, anesthetists and surgeons, the real work and witness is in rural health centers.
We will also be starting mobile clinics. We will load a Land Cruiser with supplies and head out to rural underserved villages and put on week-long public health programs. While teaching general public health, we will also be bringing members of our nutrition center to screen kids for malnutrition. We will also bring evangelists to preach the Gospel. We will also be sending out nurses and doctors to consult patients.
There are a few things which have possessed us to move forward now. Mostly, it’s a great guy named Mason McDowell and his wife Kim. Mason has taken over my anesthesia and pediatric responsibilities and Kim has taken over the school. I now finally have the time and energy to attend to the administrative and expansion responsibilities as well as my medical responsibilities. And there are other volunteers ready to either take on some of my responsibilities or help in these new projects.
So besides even more volunteers, what are we lacking?
Well, I’m proud to say we’re broke. AHI-Bere is officially broke. Zero money. AHI-Bere used to have loads of money. Historically, Bere has been the most financially-blessed AHI institution. However, we have spent all of it to get to where we are. I’m proud to say we’re broke, because we have spent all your donations on extremely important and productive projects and not just buried our talent in the ground. You can see all we’ve accomplished above. Much of it has gone to projects which further our goal of a financially-independent hospital. Your donation dollars have never gone to routine costs like nursing salaries. In fact, our hospital has made money, repaid debts, put money in the bank and made further investments this year. Oh how I wish you could come visit to see how much has changed! We have really done a TON with your contributions.
So there you have it, you who ask how you can help. You can come be a part of what we’re doing by the labor of your own hands. You can share this link on your Facebook page with a note that you would trust us to be good stewards of your tax-deductible donation dollars. Or be a part of what we do by making it financially possible.
AHI can take donations in many ways. You can pay by PayPal, check, phone, credit card, etc. Just mark it as Bere or send them an email indicating you made a donation and wish it to go to Bere. Another option is to shop through smile.amazon.com and list your preferred charity as Adventist Health International. Then 0.5% of your purchase price is donated to AHI. I don’t think there’s any specific way to make it go to Bere as opposed to the Global Fund at AHI, but we really love AHI and their Global Fund needs to be fed too.
Visit ahiglobal.org/main/donate-now/ for information on donating or click the PayPal link on our blog. And it’s tax-deductible, if you’re into that sort of thing in December.
You choose:
ahiglobal.org/main/donate-now/
909-558-4540
ahi@llu.edu or bbrewster@llu.edu
Adventist Health International
11060 Anderson Street
Loma Linda, CA 92350
Thank you once again for keeping us going long after we thought possible, be it via prayers, kind words or donations. We appreciate how you help shoulder the burden when we are taxed and hurt. We hope you feel proud sharing in our triumphs and trials. And we pray you share our hope for the future. Thank you immensely for spending your free time reading our blog. And thank you for partnering with us and trusting us with your hard-earned donations. We daily strive to please our Heavenly Father and be worthy of the faith both He and you have put in us.
And as always, we can be reached at danae.netteburg@gmail.com
love
olen and danae
missionarydoctors.blogspot.com
Olen Tigo: +235 91 91 60 32
Danae Tigo: +235 90 19 30 38
Olen et Danae Netteburg
Hopital Adventiste de Bere
52 Boite Postale
Kelo, Tchad
Afrique
Volunteers Welcome!!!
I can't believe no one commented on this. And as you can see, I'm just late and catching up. But I can't help but be sooo thankful at how God has led you both (Mr. German and Danae) in giving you the wisdom to help things progress the way you have. God has given you the vision and will continue to keep you as leaders because He knows you will do His will. It's super encouraging and inspiring to see this. Keep on keeping on. You guys are awesome, even if you aren't wearing any capes! :)
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