The family helper program and the hospital project were founded to help needy people in the Eastern part of Nigeria. The hospital is located at Umudim Ngodo Isuochi, Umunneochi Local Government Area, of Abia State Nigeria. It is a rural community with approximately thirty thousand inhabitants.

Exposition of the Reality and Reason for the family helper program and Hospital Project

Sixty percent of the population is made up of children and the youth. Most inhabitants of this village are peasant farmers and petty traders who are not financially capable of taking care of their basic needs.

Unfortunately, there are no social amenities like electricity, water, good road, hospital, etc., in the whole town. The nearest good hospital is about eighty kilometers away. Under normal circumstance it should be a journey of an hour and half but due to bad road, sometimes it may take over three hours or more to get to the hospital.

The government does not provide any health insurance or basic amenities for the people. Medical care and treatments are solely the responsibility of the patient or his/her family, and one has to pay upfront for medical consultation and any drugs or treatment received.

If anyone doesn’t have money, he/she is left to suffer or face a possible death unless God in his infinite mercy grants healing to the sick person. Because of this, most people who do not have money for their treatment pray and look up to God for healing. This has led to the proliferation of spiritual healing centers, native/traditional healing shrines or patent medicine stores. Most often those who run the spiritual healing ministries/centers have no pastoral or theological formation. They take advantage of their patients’ vulnerability. Also, most of those who manage patent medicine stores, or who prescribe and administer medications don’t have any formal training. This has led to many deaths and health complications.

It is disheartening to see common tropical diseases like malaria killing so many children, young people and adults. Also, many people die of other minor diseases that are preventable or curable. Due to lack of proper health care and proximity to a hospital/health center, many young women have died during childbirth. Some young women have complications during childbirth because there was no proper prenatal care. Some patients suffering from high blood pressure or diabetes cannot easily go to the hospital to control or monitor their conditions because they can’t afford the transportation or cost of the tests. This sometimes has led to complications or even sudden death that otherwise could have been prevented or controlled.

Sadly, some of our family members and relatives have died suddenly for lack of easy access to hospital when they were sick. There are also many children whose parents are not able to send to school. In the face of these dehumanizing situations and suffering, we felt the urge to do something to alleviate the sufferings and pains of the poor in our community.

Our aim is to bring healthcare services/hospital closer to the people, provide free medical consultation and in some cases, free medication or prescription drugs. Where a free medication is not possible, it will be given at a subsidized rate. We hope that with access to health care and proper psychoeducation, the health and living conditions of the beneficiaries will be improved significantly. Having access to a hospital and obtaining drugs from a certified doctor and genuine pharmaceutical companies will reduce the high risk of consuming adulterated drugs and the consequent side effects.