Planning for 2021 Underway

In spite of Covid, the medical work continues for the doctors, nurses, and medical staff of the CEUM. Covid has not taken a toll in NW Congo like it has in other parts of the world. Certainly, the lack of roads and early lockdowns by the government helped, but ultimately it was an answer to prayer. Now the urgent care staff and general medical staff know how to protect themselves and how to guide their people to avoid infection from any kind of pandemic in the future. Planning for the future took place last weekend in Karawa with leaders of the medical staff to set the course for 2021. New concepts of learning were introduced, and indicators were chosen to track progress on a monthly basis. The leaders of the CEUM medical system are in the photo above. 

2nd Annual Medical Ambassadors Retreat a Success

The 2nd Annual Medical Ambassadors Retreat held in November 2020 was a unique experience as we met on Zoom. There were over 40 people from 13 different states and several sessions with three Covenant Church of Congo medical leaders. Despite a few technical challenges connecting with our Congolese partners on Zoom, 95% of participants said the retreat was very good or excellent. Thank you to those of you who could join us! 

The goal of the retreat was to continue our collaborative learning and enrich our relationships with one another. Three Congolese medical professionals were able to join us, two doctors and one clinic nurse. Our partners introduced their families, shared their heart and motivation about how and why they went into the medical profession, and challenges they currently face. We also had a live discussion on key partnership issues: exposure to other cultures, how colonialism influenced or affects them, and their views on Medical Ambassadors and the Train the Trainer methods. The discussion was rich and informative. The Ambassadors are continuing to build cross-cultural relationships and learn through discussions on cultural worldviews, inequity, and bias awareness. 

A key result of the retreat was greater engagement of many Medical Ambassadors. From these discussions there are now five active Resource Groups developing course work and guidance for medical care in fields such as nursing, dental care, diabetes/hypertension, pediatric care, and maternal care. If this topics speak to your interests, please let us know.

Our God is faithful and we will continue to be His hands and feet. 

In Service Together,
Ann Hagensen RN
PCP Medical Ambassador, Volunteer President
2 Thess. 1: 11 & 12