February 2008 Newsletter
Grant Awarded to LHCB by the Japanese
At the 10th Anniversary Celebration in November of 2007, Bijoy Baroi, Executive Director of LHCB-Bangladesh, announced that LHCB was the recipient of an $85,000 grant from the Japanese government.
The funds will cover construction costs of adding a second floor to the hospital. The new wing will include a male ward and extra pediatric beds. Future plans for the expanded hospital space also include a Nurses Training Program.
The grant is rewarded in recognition of the work in health care accomplished by LHCB. LHCB has an excellent reputation in Dumki and the surrounding districts, and has established well-respected standards of patient care in the community. Currently, 12% of patients seen in the outpatient and mobile clinics are men. With the addition of the male ward, LHCB will provide inpatient care which the men in the community have requested. The fees charged to men for health care will help support LHCB’s primary focus of providing health care to women and children. Construction of the new wing will commence by the summer of 2008
New Faces on the Board
In 2007, the Board of Directors of LHCB-USA welcomed two new members: Mr. Joseph Slater is Account Executive for CSI Leasing, and Rev. David Holm is Senior Pastor at Normandale Lutheran Church in Edina MN. Both will serve three-year terms. The Board also said goodbye to Dr. Charles Petersen and Mr. Richard McCrady.
The Board has formed three standing committees: finance/strategic planning, marketing/development, and medical advisory/missions. In early April, the Board will hold a strategic planning retreat, and new officers of the board will be elected in May.
THANK YOU
The Board of Directors wishes to thank all those individuals and organizations that contributed to the mission of LHCB-USA in 2007. A complete summary of names will appear in our Annual Report which will be available May 1. You are an important partner in reaching the impoverished people of Bangladesh. THANK YOU!
Creative Hands Bring Hope: A Benefit Concert for LHCB
Join us Saturday April 5 for a concert to benefit the work of LHCB. Local violinist Michael Antonello and pianist/composer Peter Arnstein will play music of John Williams (Theme from Schindler’s List), selections from Gershwin, Kreisler, Sarasate and conclude with a romantic medley. Antonello will perform on a 1720 Stradivarius, known as the ex-Rochester. The first one hundred years of the violin’s history are unknown, but beginning in Rochester, England in 1820 and ever since, each owner can be traced. Stradivari’s instruments are regarded as amongst the finest stringed instruments ever created.
Date: Saturday April 5 Time: 3 pm
Place: Calvary Lutheran Church, 7520 Golden Valley Rd Golden Valley MN.
There will be a Freewill Offering
“[Antonello is] a violinist who can...elicit tears, laughter, and a standing ovation." Grand Rapids Press
“Tis God gives skill, but not without man’s hands. He could not make Antonio Stradivari’s violins without Antonio." George Eliot
LHCB-USA Annual Gathering
Join us for the Annual Meeting of LHCB-USA and hear our keynote speaker, Dr. Martin Marty. Dr. Marty is one of the most prominent interpreters of religion and culture today. He has authored more than 50 books. He is a renowned speaker, columnist, Lutheran pastor, and professor of religious history for 35 years at the University of Chicago.
Date: Thursday May 1, 2008
Time: Social 6:30 pm, Meeting 7 - 9 pm
Place: Central Lutheran Church, 333 12th St. S., Minneapolis
The Story of Emon
In November 2007 during the recent medical mission trip to LHCB, a 7 year old boy named Emon was brought to the LHCB hospital early one morning. He had fallen from a narrow bamboo bridge and suffered a puncture wound to his abdomen leaving some of his intestines exposed. Dr. Diane Petersen, a specialist in OB/GYN, was called to assess his condition. She consulted with a surgical colleague here at home and determined that with his advice and with assistance in the operating room in Dumki, she could repair the damage. The operation went smoothly, and Emon had a successful recovery. If Dr. Petersen and the medical team had not been at LHCB, Emon would have had little hope of surviving the injury. The closest hospital capable of performing such surgery was hurs away and his family could not afford the cost of travel.
Our Mission
Through God’s grace and love, Lutheran Health Care Bangladesh brings hope and promise to the people of southern Bangladesh with a focus on maternal and child health care and community development programs.
Safe Water and Deep Tube Wells
Bangladesh is a land of water lying in the delta of three major rivers. Flooding is a yearly occurrence during and after the monsoon season (June-October). Waters from the melting snows of the Himalayas and the rain water from neighboring regions accumulate in the low-lying areas of Bangladesh bringing along naturally occurring arsenic. In the 1970’s, aid agencies and western engineers dug shallow tube wells to address the problem of surface water contamination, pollution and the resulting health problems However, in the early 1990’s, it was discovered that water from these shallow tube wells came with a hidden poison – arsenic. Digging tube wells over 600 feet deep allows access to uncontaminated water beneath an impermeable layer in the ground.
Three of the four districts where LHCB works are identified as contaminated areas- Gopalganj, Madaripur and Barisal. Presently LHCB with financial support from ELCA’s Global Missions administers the Safe Water and Arsenic Mitigation Project (SWAM) in these three districts. Since its inception in January 2005 through December 2007, 224 deep tube wells have been installed providing safe water for nearly 30,000 men, women and children. Funding for the project through the ELCA will be completed at the end of 2008. As we fundraise this year, LHCB-USA will focus on this needed funding for the continuation of the digging of deep tube wells in the future.
In addition to the digging of deep tube wells, LHCB focuses on different sub districts each year targeting sanitation and the installation of latrines. With the digging of a deep tube well, installation of latrines, and health education for the women and children, the improved health and well being of entire villages is possible.
A Prayer for Clean Water
O God, by giving us your Son, Jesus, you satisfy our thirst by giving us new life in community with others. Inspire us by your abundance to make sure clean water is available to all the world’s people. Amen
Recurring Donations
Technology is providing nonprofits and their donors with new ways to make gifts. Donations to LHCBUSA can now be made through our website and over the web. Online giving provides an easy and safe way for individuals to make donations to their favorite charities. And now through these sites, donors can make recurring donations as well.
Don’t know what a recurring donation is? They are gifts that are made regularly, usually monthly or quarterly, using a credit or debit card. There are many benefits to recurring gifts.
- They are safe and convenient.
- They are cost effective for the organization.
- Individuals are able to make more significant gifts than they might otherwise be able to afford at one time.
- They supply a steady and reliable stream of income to the nonprofit.
- Donation histories are tracked and reports furnished to the donor.
- They are 100% tax deductible.
Donors to LHCB-USA have two websites from which they can make recurring donations: www. networkforgood.org and www.justgive.org. The procedure is basically the same. Type “Lutheran Health Care Bangladesh” in the search field and click on make a donation. Under donation preferences click on “recurring donation.” You will have the option of monthly, quarterly or annual donations. Follow the instructions to complete the transaction.
Please consider a recurring donation to LHCB-USA and support the work of bringing health care to the women and children of southern Bangladesh.
Dr. Muhammed Yunus on MPR
If you missed Dr. Yunus on Midmorning, January 232008, you can go to http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/programs/midmorning/ and listen to the program online. Dr. Yunus is the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner from Bangladesh. Host Kerri Miller and Dr. Yunus discussed his latest book Creating a World Without Poverty.
“Lasting peace can not be achieved unless large population groups find ways in which to break out of poverty. Micro-credit is one such means ….”
Bangladesh in Literature
Two new books feature the country of Bangladesh on their pages. A Golden Age (HarperCollins, 2007)tells the story of Bangladesh’s 1971 war for independence through the eyes of a young widow fighting to keep her children safe. The author, Tahmima Anam, was born in Bangladesh, grew up in the US and now lives in London. Her book is the first of a planned trilogy.
Robert Onan, first time novelist, writes about the vulnerability of the Bangladeshi people to the forces of nature. One doctor searches for solutions and finds friendship, love, faith and success. Taming Storm Surges is published by Pogo Press, 2006. Please let us know of other books on Bangladesh to share.
Staff Housing Project
Work continues on the Staff Housing Project despite the effects of cyclone Sidr. There was no damage to the building, though many of the trees surrounding structure were destroyed.
A $15,000 donation in December has brought the fundraising efforts closer to its goal. Only $11,000 remains of the $180,000.
Medical and administrative staff will occupy the eleven apartments once completed. Housing on the compound will help staff provide better health care to the villagers, and will help LHCB recruit and retain quality medical staff.
Completion is scheduled for the summer of 2008. Photo below is from January 2008.
