Off in the Bush
Bumpy. Dusty. And definitely off-the-beaten-trail.
When Jesh set off last fall to visit the location of a new surgical clinic, he didn’t quite know what he was getting himself into.
The first day had been a long day of driving from the capital city to a stop along the main road heading towards the north of the island. There they unloaded their gear and hospital supplies and found a place to rest their tired (and grimy!) heads.
With the sound of the roosters as alarm clocks, the guys were up at the crack of dawn the next morning for the final leg of their journey to a remote village, Ambohitsara. A big ol’ pick up truck replaced the Prado that had taken them this far. Despite her rustic appearance, this truck was at least made for the rugged pot holes and massive waterlogged roads they would encounter that morning. Thankfully, she only required minimal roadside assistance - provided by Jesh and his handy-man skills.
Big Red bumped and lurched down the dusty road that resembled more of a trail, considering the truck reached both sides simultaneously. After 2.5 hours, she brought her load the whopping 28 kilometres to the red patch of land that was becoming a surgical clinic for that region.
The construction site is shared with a school that is already up and running, with hundreds of elementary and high school students not only getting taught but receiving a meal so they don’t have to try to learn on empty stomachs. The guys were able to see hope in action as the children poured into the canteen to receive a hearty midday meal.
These are just some of the projects being done through the visionary efforts of a team that has been working to meet their country’s needs. A Malagasy family came together from various parts of the country with a dream to come alongside the most vulnerable amongst them. As part of their vision, for the past decade they have poured their time, energy, and resources into building up a surgical site that can offer inpatient and outpatient care. The pandemic slowed their progress, but they would not be stopped. When the going got tough, one of the family members personally set his job aside and showed up with his skills to get the construction moving forward.
The surgical project is spear-headed by Dr. Rosaline, the first female PAACS trained surgeon in Madagascar. She is currently upgrading her credentials at the Good News Hospital, after which she will be heading back to the “bush hospital” to oversee the remaining work for their grand opening in October, 2025 - 12 years after they began this visionary endeavor.
Spending time with this family, and hearing their heart to use whatever they have in their hands to glorify God, was inspiring. They also spoke about a widespread practice in Madagascar of “money before treatment”, which they plan to replace with a principle of “treatment before money”, offering the rural poor an opportunity to repay in kind or even in work, should they be unable to provide the monetary payment.
Surgery Helps is proud to come alongside Dr. Rosaline and the Hallelujah Project to see that quality and compassionate surgical care continues to spread into unreached locations such as this.
You can learn more about their work on their project page (here).