Many church health facilities in the east of DRC are in poor structural condition because the buildings have been destroyed by militia fighting or there is no money for maintenance. Other facilities are bursting at the seams because rooms for examinations, treatments and operations or bed wards and laboratory rooms are missing. This is also the case in the health centre of Chiburhi, a village in the South Kivu region. DIFÄM supports the church's health work in planning, financing and carrying out the necessary construction work. Now, with mainly regional materials, such as home-baked bricks, and through the efforts of local craftsmen, a larger and well-lit maternity ward could be completed - another step towards reducing the high maternal and child mortality in Congo.
In the Luvungi health centre near the border to Burundi, a new building for antenatal care has just been completed and furnished. Here, pregnant women can now receive comprehensive care and educational talks on family planning can take place. The previous building had neither flooring nor painted walls, and there were holes in the ceiling and walls.
Constant need for renovation
DIFÄM has been supporting the medical work of the churches for many years. One focus is the development of health infrastructure to improve health care in rural areas. This includes the renovation and equipment of medical facilities with necessary devices, laboratory facilities and sustainable sources of electricity, as well as the establishment of transport facilities for the sick. In addition, the training of midwives, nurses and caregivers, as well as access to necessary medicines are needed. And the need in the crisis region remains urgent.
