La Chaîne de l’Espoir supports its partner hospitals in West Africa

Although Africa is not currently experiencing an outbreak of the Covid 19 epidemic, the virus continues to spread, and health authorities are keeping a close watch on its evolution.

In Mali, La Chaîne de l’Espoir was asked to help at two sites: The Hôpital Mère Enfant Le Luxembourg and the Centre André Festoc, as well as the Hôpital du Mali requisitioned to care for Covid 19 patients.

For these two hospitals, La Chaîne de l’Espoir’s priority was to provide support by sending protective equipment for nursing staff, as well as anaesthetic and resuscitation consumables for patient care. All this equipment, worth 60,000 euros (39,357,500 CFA francs), was financed by the Engie Foundation*. They arrived in Bamako on June 8, and will be dispatched to the two sites after customs clearance and administrative authorizations during the week of June 22. At the same time, the André Festoc Pediatric Cardio Center will also receive equipment for the upcoming resumption of cardiac surgery, scheduled for the end of June.

In parallel with these donations, La Chaîne de l’Espoir has been running community awareness and prevention campaigns since April, broadcasting messages on local radio stations, displaying barrier gestures and providing best practice guides.

For caregivers, La Chaîne de l’Espoir has set up remote training workshops via videoconferencing. Referring doctors from La Chaîne de l’Espoir’s head office delivered sessions on nursing care, hygiene and quality. These sessions were shared simultaneously with medical teams in Senegal, Burkina Faso and Mali.

*The Engie Foundation is a loyal partner of La Chaîne de l’Espoir, notably for its support of programs in West Africa. In the face of the Covid 19 pandemic, the Engie Foundation is taking part in this surge of solidarity and is committed to supporting healthcare personnel and the most vulnerable populations in the heart of the territories.

La Chaîne de l’Espoir is an international NGO founded in 1994 and present in nearly 30 countries. Its mission is to strengthen healthcare systems to give everyone, especially children, the same chances of survival and development.