West-Central Africa Division Health Ministries Department Report Dr André NDAA, MD; DTMH March 2016
West-Central Africa Division 22 countries 10 unions 3788 churches 670 375 SDA members 400 000 000 inhabitants 5 official languages
West-Central Africa Division 24 Hospitals 15 Health centers/clinics 2 Dental clinics 1 Medical school 5 Nursing schools
WAD Health Ministries Directors Union Directors CMUM: Dr Assam Assam CAUM: ENUC: Dr Usun Okon ESUM: Dr Gilles AWUTE NGUM: Ps Owusu Ansah Union Directors NNUC: Dr Chikwe Amaike SGUC: Dr William Brown WSUM: Dr Roger Camara WAUM: Gloria Wayne WNUC: Dr John Sotunsa
Main Objective Help Each Church Become A Community Health Center and Each Member A Health Promoter
Initiatives: Health Seminars CELEBRATIONS KNOW YOUR NUMBERS 1. Cameroon (2) 2. Gambia (1) 3. Côte d Ivoire (5) 4. Sénégal (1) 5. Ghana (3)
Initiatives: Health Fairs Liberia (Monrovia) Niger (Niamey)
Initiatives: Medical Outreach BOKKOS (NNUC) Nouakchott, Mauritania (WSUM) Lomé, TOGO (ESUM)
Initiatives: Smoking Cessation Programs Mauritania: Nouakchott, Matamoulana Côte d Ivoire: Abidjan Niger: Niamey Nigeria: Awka
Initiatives: Sensitization of primary and secondary school children on the dangers of tobacco Nouakchott Matamoulana
Initiatives: Adventist AIDS International Ministry ( AAIM) Grand Mothers Club AIDS orphans, Bertoua (CMUM)
In churches In schools Initiatives: Ebola Prevention
Initiatives: Medical Missionary Training by LIGHT
Initiatives: Advisory with SDA Herbalists Kumasi Accra
Union Schools of Evangelism: Lomé, TOGO (ESUM) Lagos, Nigeria (WNUC) Initiatives: Evangelism
Initiatives: Evangelism Bondoukou, Côte d Ivoire (ESUM) 3 baptisms Nanga-Eboko, Cameroon (CMUM):HM/GM Small Group Evangelism: 102 baptisms
Initiatives: Participation in Big Health Gatherings ICPA in ECD AAIM Advisory in ECD Global Health Conference LLU Global Conference on Health and Lifestyle, Geneva Switzerland Comprehensive Health Summit GC,
Initiatives: Missionary Book of 2015 Accra, Ghana (SGUC) Distribution in the streets of Lomé, Togo (ESUM)
Initiatives: Encouraging the creation of SDA Health Professionals Associations Cameroon Ghana Nigeria Togo
Initiatives: Assessment of Health Institutions 1. Infrastructure and equipment 2. Personnel qualification 3. Spiritual Activities 4. Financial Situation : liquidity, self-support status, etc. 5. Medical Statistics
Strengths of These Initiatives: Training church members and putting them to work Utilizing Health Ministry as a preparatory ministry for the biblical truths to be sown Making known the Seventh- day Adventist church and contributing to help communities learn of Jesus through Health Ministries Improving the active participation of SDA Health Professionals in the outreach activities of the church
Struggles: within the church Opposition or lack of collaboration from some church leaders Insufficient resources allocated to health ministries at all levels Union and Conference Health Directors are very busy professionals, they have little time for church programs There is lack of reporting at all levels No financial support for Health institutions
Struggles Outside the church: High cost of airline transportation
Struggles: Outside the church Political crisis, Terrorist attacks: Côte d Ivoire, Central Africa Republic, Mali, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso, Congo (Brazzaville), Mauritania
Struggles Outside the Church: The EBOLA OUTBREAK 2013-2016 Ø More than 11 300 deaths Ø More than 28 500 persons infected Ø Devastating effects on families, communities, health and economic systems (WHO)
EBOLA OUTBREAK 2013-2016 Ø Many church programs canceled Ø Traveling made difficult Ø New habits acquired: reduced eating of bush meat, handwashing, etc.
END OF THE EBOLA OUTBREAK End of Ebola: Ø Sierra Leone: 7 November 2015 Ø Guinea: 29 December 2015 Ø Liberia: 14 January 2016
Needed Resources Training resources in other languages: french, portuguese, and spanish Technical assistance in organizing Health/Medical Fairs Financial assistance for Health/Medical fairs and other programs Technical and financial assistance for Health Institutions
Leadership Development Initiatives Division initiative: help each Union sponsor a medical student in Babcock University Local initiatives in Nigeria where some SDA medical students receive sponsorship in state universities
Networking Adventist Health Professionals Associations: exist in countries like Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana. In other countries preliminary meetings have been organized with SDA Health professionals in Senegal, Guinea, Côte d Ivoire, Chad and Togo. Other Division Departments: Youth Ministry, Women Ministry, Children Ministry, Family Ministry, Adventist Mission
Networking This quinquennium with: Adventist Mission Evangelism LIGHT Adventist Health Professionals Others
How Can the GC HM Team Help? Assistance to Health Institutions: q Quest for Quality q Upgrade of Infrastructures and Equipment q Training opportunities within or outside the Division
How Can the GC HM Team Help? Health Ministries: q Production or sharing of training resources in other languages q Sponsorship for students in MPH programs (Health Ministries) q Trainings: Mental Health, Nutrition, CHIP, etc.
CHALLENGE This branch of the Lord s work (medical missionary) has not received due attention, and through this neglect much has been lost. If the church would manifest a greater interest in the reform through which God Himself is seeking to fit them for His coming, their influence would be far greater than it is now. SDA Bible Commentaries on 3 John 2