Bongolo hospital: lebamba, gabon 2008

GABON: BONGOLO HOSPITAL
Over the past three decades, the ministry of sending supplies to our hospital has been a blessing to thousands of our patients. It is a tangible way for individuals in our churches to get involved and make a difference in the world. Thank you so much! As many of you know, the U.S. Postal Service no longer sends packages boat mail. We have been researching to find a way to get packages sent at a reasonable cost to you. The following are a couple of ways to send packages: The U.S. Postal System has what is called International Priority flat rate boxes and can be obtained at your local office. The rate on these boxes is $37, and you can send up to 20 lbs. for that amount. There are two sizes available: 13.75 x 11.75 x 3.5, and 11 x 9 x 5.75 inches. Since the boxes aren’t very large, they would be good for heavier items like multivitamins or antacids. A larger flat rate box will be available in March. Please put only three (3) different types of items in each box; for example, toothbrushes, cotton balls, and multivitamins. For now, we ask you to send the packages to the mission address in the capital city of Libreville. The address is: Bongolo Hospital, B.P. 13.021, Libreville, Gabon. Please send $10 per box to the C&MA National Office to the following account: Bongolo Medical Supplies/Shipping/Customs. This will pay to get it down country to Bongolo. (C&MA, PO Box 35000, Colorado Springs, CO. 80935-3500) Every year the hospital ships one or two containers from the United States to Bongolo Hospital. Often, there is space available in these containers for a limited number of packages. Coleen Lofgren has agreed to coordinate and keep track of boxes, their size and available space in the containers. If you have packages that you wish to send this way, please e-mail Coleen at a list for each package—the dimensions, weight and contents—and include the cost of the items. She will then let you know where to send the packages. Since sending a container is expensive, and the packages need to be trucked down to Bongolo from Libreville, we would ask you to send $20 for each package to the C&MA National Office to the same account as above. Light items like cotton balls could be sent in a large mailing envelope to the Libreville address. Another possibility to help us would be to send funds to our account at the C&MA National Office for medical supplies, shipping and customs. You will notice that the list has been shortened. Some items, like OR linens, are sufficient at this time. If you have items that you think may be of use, please contact Coleen at the above e-mail or call her at 218-245-2706. Her mailing address is: 41366 Scenic Highway, Bovey, MN. 55709. Please check out the . BONGOLO NEEDS LIST
(Items marked with ** are greatly needed)
OVER THE COUNTER MEDICATIONS:
Make sure the medications will not expire in 12 months.
1. **Multivitamins with the essential minerals like Centrum and Centrum Kids
2. **Cold medications: decongestants, non-sedating antihistamines like Claritin
(or generic Loratidine), cough lozenges. 3. **Selsun Blue Shampoo
4. **Antacids with Calcium

MEDICAL SUPPLIES:

1. Small, clean empty pill bottles with lids on them. If you can’t remove the label, please cover them with a white label. Send only two boxes/church/year. A product called “Goo Gone” helps remove the sticky labels. 2. Tolled sheet bandages made from used sheets. Widths should be 3”, 4”, or 5”. The diameter should be 2-3”. Secure end with a stitch or a rubber band. 3. Good quality 1” masking tape (used to secure sterilization wraps) 4. Pill cutters (available at Wal-Mart or Drugstores like CVS, Eckerd or 5. Kerlix-type bandages and dressings 6. Playtex-type heavy-duty rubber cleaning gloves (sizes medium and large). 7. Stackable rectangular plastic hospital basins. 8. Cotton balls
DENTAL SUPPLIES:
1. Toothbrushes 2. Toothpaste 3. Dental floss
EYE CLINIC SUPPLIES:

**Eye drops such as Murine, Artificial Tears, and Anti-allergy drops.
**Non-prescription UV-ray blocking sunglasses (for after cataract surgery)

SURGICAL SUPPLIES:

1. Blue operating room towels
2. **Laporotomy sponges
3. Operating room caps (patterns available through Simplicity or McCall’s)
4. Vaseline Gauze, Adaptic, Telfa dressings

MATERNITY:

1. Clothes for premature babies: The Bongolo Hospital Maternity is a center for difficult deliveries and premature babies. There is, therefore, a need for preemie clothes for about 30 babies a year. Wal-Mart now carries premature clothes. The premature onesies are particularly appreciated. 2. Preemie caps: out of soft stockinet or cloth preferable. If they are hand- knitted, please use soft, fine baby yard. Please do not use heavy, bulky yarn. 3. Preemie baby booties or socks 4. Flannel receiving blankets 5. Preemie and 0-3 month pacifiers
UNIFORMS:

1. Good quality white lab coats for men and women, sizes medium to 2XL. 2. Student nurse uniform tops: should be made out of blue and white gingham- checked material, either in a scrub-like pattern or a simple short-sleeved lab coat pattern. Scrub dresses are OK for the women. Please note that only about half of our nursing students and staff are women. 3. IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO SEW: you can send white or blue checked gingham cotton or cotton/polyester material and thread.

Source: http://alliancewomen.org/adobe08/gabon08.pdf