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AFRO-NETS> Medical Help to Mozambique (3)
Medical Help to Mozambique (3)
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Dear Prof. Power,
In response to your posting on AFRO-NETS you may want to follow up
with these folk. They are American Missionaries who have been on the
field for over 30 years, the last 6 in Maputo working with disadvan-
taged and orphan children.
We did a campaign about 12 months ago with them vaccinating the chil-
dren for measles, DPT and polio, providing rapid malaria tests and
basic training on malaria management along with worm management.
These remain a priority with them and at the moment have a nurse and
medical doctor working with them. There is a great need for further
medical support especially in view of the increasing number of orphan
children they are taking care of because of the floods. Needs for
blankets, plastics and in the longer term farming seed remains a pri-
ority.
We endorse their work as a credible organisation, which should you
support in any way it would benefit many of the destitute and needy
people in Mocambique at this time.
Regards,
DR K Billinghurst
Chief Medical Officer
CDC Unit
Mpumalanga Department of Health
Nelspruit 1200 South Africa
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Medical Help to Mozambique
Rolland and Heidi Baker
Maputo, Mozambique
7 March 2000
PHOTOS (not attached) Top left: This aerial view appears to be facing the
ocean from a river outlet. Incredibly, it is actually facing *inland*
from the mouth of the Limpopo River, which has been the scene of
worldwide television coverage the last two weeks. An entire province
has become a sea with nothing but muddy water to the horizon. Top
right: This is what's left of the main road out of town to our rural
property at Machava, typical of what has happened to roads all over
southern Mozambique. Bottom right: Pastor Rego praying fervently for
a child at the cashew factory, where Iris Ministries is responsible
for 3,000 refugees. Bottom left: This shows the flooded Limpopo River
basin, covering nearly everything-towns, villages, farms, and houses.
The brown surface in the photo is all flood water as far as the eye
can see.
--
What has happened to Mozambique, this country where we live and work
and have come to know so well, is almost unbelievable to us. What
started off as a three-day rainstorm early this month has turned into
a natural disaster that has required the largest humanitarian aid mo-
bilization that Africa has ever seen. It is likely that tens of thou-
sands of human corpses will be uncovered when the flood waters sub-
side. Southern Mozambique is one huge flood plain draining the high-
lands of South Africa and Zimbabwe, and there was no escape for whole
towns and villages, many still beyond the range of rescue helicop-
ters. Mothers struggling in neck-deep currents drowned their own ba-
bies in their back slings. Stranded communities are reduced to eating
the decayed flesh of dead cows, and children are even roasting rats.
Upper-story roofs in Xai-Xai have collapsed under the weight of so
many desperate survivors. The stench in the streets from sewage and
animal carcasses is terrible. Severe malnutrition is setting in among
young children. Clean water is nearly impossible to find, even for
rescue crews. Refugees have been seen urinating in and drinking out
of the same pools of water. Malaria victims lie motionless in the
dirt with high fevers. Twenty-six camps with almost no facilities or
provisions are trying to care for 250,000 people.
Aid is pouring into Maputo's tiny airport finally, creating a logis-
tical nightmare. Air traffic controllers have been flown in from Eng-
land to handle the load. After weeks of delay, the government has ex-
pedited customs, but still the fine details of every shipment take
hours and days for officials to write out without computers. Organiz-
ing and delivering goods to the camps, and then by air to still-
stranded populations is overtaxing the capabilities of the world's
largest disaster relief organizations. And still the cry is, "Too
little, too late." There aren't enough helicopters in all of Africa
to handle the need.
The worst is yet to come, as thirst, ravenous hunger and epidemics
take their toll, even with the best efforts of dedicated aid profes-
sionals. We have assumed responsibility for a second camp of 3,000
flood victims, this one north of Maputo near the severe flood waters.
Today our staff went up there by arrangement with the government to
pick up and bring to our center as many flood orphans as possible. To
get there we have to wade through water waist-deep or more for an
hour, take surface transport at exorbitant cost (fuel must be carried
in on heads), wade for another hour, take another "capa" ride, and
then wade again. Heidi kept falling into holes and mud, arriving to-
tally drenched.
Helicopters are bringing in survivors all through the day and landing
them in three main areas south of Xai-Xai. In the camps we find huge
joy as thousands listen to the Gospel and devour tracts even before
they eat the bread we bring. We need truckloads of tracts and Bibles
to satisfy such hunger. These flood victims, many weak and sick, and
all without possessions, are thrilled to sit and learn about our Lord
Jesus. They respond, they worship, they pray and weep in repentance
for themselves and the sins of their nation. They sing and dance.
They are thrilled when we send ministry teams. They need more than
pallets of beans and rice.
As the President's secretary-general Senhor Matos told us, his people
need love. They need comfort and warmth. They need to be hugged. They
need assurance and faith. They need the Lord, and all that is in His
heart. Mozambique is still a land of paganism, witchcraft and ances-
tor worship among many. The head of the Renamo, the political party
that narrowly lost a recent national election, declared that this
disaster was the work of angry "spirits" taking revenge over a mis-
count of the votes. Syncretism, illiteracy and rural isolation are
other obstacles to hearing the clear Gospel. But in these camps peo-
ple are gathered together from their far-flung villages and are eager
and willing to listen to preaching, and to receive ministry in the
Holy Spirit. May Jesus reign over this national calamity as only He
can.
We will try to provide you soon with reports and photos from the
camps themselves. The flood waters have gone down about one-third in
the last few days, but now begins a new crisis phase that must deal
with the ongoing catastrophe of the flood's aftermath. Farmers are
saying it will be June or July before replanting can begin, and the
country only has enough food to feed its people for fifteen more days
without massive international aid. As Heidi said on South African
television, we need all the helping hands we can get. But we also
need the logistical help that is required to transport food, goods
and teams, coordinate travel and customs arrangements, and bring some
order to extreme chaos on all sides. We are course are being chal-
lenged far beyond anything in prior experience, but our cry through
everything is that we might as a result know Him better. In His love,
Rolland
--
Rolland and Heidi Baker
Directors Iris Ministries, Inc.
P.O. Box 563
No. 654/29 Zimpeto, Av. Mozambique Km. 11
Maputo, Mozambique
Tel: +258-82-303-067/8; +258-82-306-527
Fax and voicemail: +1-213-330-0293
U.S. mail and support:
1900 Via Sage San Clemente, CA 92673, USA
General answers to financial questions that come up in our e-mail:
Contributions that are sent to our San Clemente address above will be
wired to us in Maputo within days. Banks around the world use sorting
codes of different kinds for wire transfers: routing number, A.B.A.
number, Swift number, etc., and some banks are not experienced with
international transfers. Our bank in Maputo is not able to provide
anything more than the following information. If your bank cannot
send wire transfers on this information alone, than it would be bet-
ter to send a contribution by ordinary check to our San Clemente ad-
dress. The delay is small, and our great needs will continue. If wire
transfers are made, it would be good for us to know so that we can
give you proper credit. If anyone needs further background informa-
tion from us, or a copy of our IRS determination letter, please let
me know.
Wiring details:
Banco de Fomento
Exterior Iris Ministries account 400.31.255313.001
Av. Vladimir Lenine 624 R/C Maputo, Mozambique
Tel: +258-1-423-915, 423-916, 423-927
Swift Number: BFMXMZMA
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