SAHOCAH Bafut: Where Miracles Are Made

SAHOCAH Bafut:  Where Miracles Are Made

One place we really wanted to visit is described well:  ‘Sajocah is a rehabilitation center in Mambu, Bafut, Cameroon that serves people, primarily children, with disabilities. Established and run by the Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis, Sajocah–which stands for St. Joseph’s Children and Adult Home–offers temporary housing for patients and their caregivers, patient assessment, intensive physical therapy, classes for the blind, job and skills training, and more.’  (http://sajocah.wordpress.com/)

Initially, the interest came for two reasons: one,  Rotary’s involvement with Polio eradication, I thought we would be seeing Polio victims.  Right away, Sister Prisca clarified that they have not dealt with Polio victims for the last 10 years due to the Polio eradication program. Secondly because Oussemotu has brought a little girl with severe problems for assessment.  When children are crippled, they are often rejected by their families, thought to be possessed, and often just dropped at SAHOCAH on the doorstep!  Sister Prisca talked at length, she  was very anxious to take us through the ‘Children’s and Adult Home’ area opposite side from the hospital.  

 It was Sunday so everyone was in a relaxed mode.  We viewed the classroom where 23 primary and secondary blind students go to school.  There were several blind persons sitting on a bench.  Sister Prica asked the blind ‘reporter’ to give us a history of SAHOCAH.  That he did, most capably.  Each Saturday he gives interested people an update on World News that he summarizes from listening to the radio.  As we moved forward, he came behind us to tell us to make an association between Canada and the Cameroon because they both have French speaking populations.  

We could see inside the ‘Cane Room’ where the blind learn weaving.  All along the way, Sister Prisca showed such love and caring for the children.  Each hallway has children sized parallel bars, very necessary for children who have had recent surgery for knocked knees, bowed legs, club feet and hip replacements as well as amputates, prosthesis, and more.  All were children that we saw. Teams  of orthopedic surgeons come from  Italy and LUMOS Belguim came to perform  surgeries. In the Physiotherapy  section, it was strange to see all the equipment children sized.  A little exercise bike, short parallel bars, etc.  Sister Prisca proudly showed us an album of ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures.   Life changing-legs straightened, club feet restored to normal, children able to be mobilized otherwise unable to walk.  One rather upsetting situation occurred when a girl of about 10 with prosthesis on both legs  knew she could not cross the gap to the next set of parallel bars.  She was crying.  Sister Prisca immediately supported her waist and she was happy to proceed on the next set of parallel bars.  In 2013, 840 children and 91 adults were treated, 645 were orthopaedic.  A group of technicians and physiotherapists came from Belgium in November of 2013 to teach technicians how to produce modern arm splints out of local materials like aluminum sheets, plastic, etc.  We saw many sophisticated braces alongside plastic lawn chairs placed into old wheel chairs for a seat!  Whatever, they make it work! 

Shoe repair is big in Cameroon.  They have a shoe repair training shop, sewing, knitting and embroidery workshop, a dairy farm with 36 cows, a piggery with 30 pigs and a bakery.  An amazing place! 

Their biggest need is water.  Despite the fact that they have a sophisticated drilled well, it failed over a year ago so the hospital and the Children’s and Adult Home are without water.  An estimate has been done on the cost of repairing the well (1.5 million CFA or $30,000 Canadian dollars).  Put that one to the Rotary test!    I hope to be able to share the interview with Sister Priska at the well with you through utube:                                                                                          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2J3iznhtZ8&list=UUKLdLUrOXVJPkIJuTTJxaAQ