New wells bring typhoid relief to Niger villages
With an alarming typhoid rate, Galmi Hospital research is spurring new prevention measures

By SIM Niger, Niger in West Africa

 

 

 

 

Galmi Hospital is no stranger to typhoid. With about 200 cases that require surgical intervention per year, it is an alarmingly common ailment.

When visiting professor Dr. Ken Rutledge visited Galmi in 2015, he was also shocked to discover the typhoid situation. 

Now, through the research of two Galmi doctors, the hospital is taking typhoid prevention to a whole new level. This research by Drs. Yves Mpongo and Katherine Shafer enabled the surgical team to identify the two villages in the region with the highest concentration of typhoid. 

Typhoid is typically spread through contaminated water and food. So constructing new wells became the focus of prevention. 

The first phase of the program rolled out in April, with Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Engineer Mr. Sharjeel Shakeel, overseeing construction. The team dug six solar-powered wells in the village of Eroufa, northeast of Galmi. Each well provides clean water to 1,000 people and their livestock. 

They also identified Hygiene Educators within the community and trained them in hygiene techniques to pass on to their neighbors. 

Would you join us in giving thanks to God who brought professionals from Central Africa, North America and Central Asia to the heart of the Sahel, bringing health and healing to the people of Niger?  

Pray that as a result of this partnership, the village of Eroufa would find physical relief and also come to drink the Living Water of Christ.