The significance of electricity has already made a life changing impact on the services provided at Camp Brethren Medical Clinic. For several years leading up to 2011, the clinic has served the community of Eburru without power. During daylight hours the clinic was open to both children and adults to receive medical attention. However, they were limited in the services they could provide due to a lack of electricity. For example, a serious disease common to this region is Typhoid. Without electricity, the Camp Brethren lab tech is unable to detect Typhoid in a patient’s blood sample because the use of a centrifuge is required. And naturally, the centrifuge requires power to operate it. Another example, what happens when a woman needs to give birth in the maturnity ward after sundown? Without power the woman gives birth by the light of a kerosene lantern. And if there are complications requiring more advanced, power requiring equipment? There is no option at the clinic and the nearest hospital is 45 minutes away.

In 2011, through the financial support of David’s Hope power was brought to the Camp Brethren Medical Clinic for the first time. The clinic now is able to provide a broader range of services to the local community such as Typhoid testing and treatment as detailed above.

 While visiting Eburru in December, I experienced first hand the life-giving services that the clinic’s maternity ward now can provide through the help of electricity. About 3am on December 9^th a woman went into labor at the maternity ward. (You never know what is going on at the clinic while comfortably asleep in the visitors huts 50 yards away) When the baby was born he was not breathing. So they quickly applied an oxygen pump to the child and moved him into the baby-warmer. The warmer is operational thanks to now having electricity. The pump however is still hand operated. For 4 hours the nurse pump oxygen into this newborn’s lungs. And then the child began to breath. Praise Jesus. As nurse Mary exclaimed later that morning, “That baby is a miracle.” 

I visiting with them Friday and according to the nurses, the boy was doing fine as was the mother. Mother, child and his new aunt stayed the night. I saw them again Saturday morning and below are two pictures from our time together. She was planning to leave the maturnity ward saturday and take her son home. They weren’t sure if they were heading home via car or motorbike. Yes, motorbike! Those Eburru women are strong.