Blog
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In the Midst of Change, JDF Moves Forward
March 5, 2011
It’s been an exciting and adventurous couple of months for the Duk Lost Boys Clinic and South Sudan. In January, the South held its long-awaited Referendum on Independence. The results were overwhelming- more than 98% voted for independence from the North. It was hailed by international observers as being free and fair, and the North has openly promised to honor the results.
As a precaution, before the voting, the John Dau Foundation removed its non-Sudanese staff and brought in several months’ worth of back- up supplies. Fortunately, the vote went off without a hitch and was largely safe and peaceful. However, due to flooding in January the supplies were necessary as they met an increase in the number of patients.
John Dau was in Sudan for nearly two months organizing JDF’s efforts to becoming a more established health clinic. He hired a number of new Sudanese clinic staff. Many were recent graduates, earning their first job. They are going to be working alongside experienced colleagues building their skills. The new staff spent several days cleaning and reorganizing the Clinic’s new items including hospital beds, IV stands, and medical supplies which were delivered in January and paid for by supporters in the U.S..It was a productive trip for the visiting JDF team. Dr. David Reed, who serves as one of JDF’s Medical Directors, was making his fourth trip to the Clinic since it opened-all of them have been on his vacation time and at his own expense. During this trip, he met with the new staff, discussed problems and vision for the future, as well as advised nurses on some common illnesses and procedures. Dr. Reed also visited an outreach team from the Clinic who were conducting a de-worming campaign at a nearby school. The campaign reached nearly 500 children. It had been part of a larger county-wide campaign that expanded several square miles. JDF’s Executive Director will remain at the Clinic for several months overseeing several new projects and coordinating the Clinic’s activities.
The true marks of how far John’s visions and the Clinic have come have been made evident in the Duk Lost Boys Clinic’s Sudanese-led success these past months. It is a model for what healthcare in the world’s newest country can be like.
