Celebrating the construction of the new health center in Mbida, Andando’s Garrison Harward shakes hands with Abdou Djiby Diallo, Village Chief of Mbida.
In a remarkable stride towards improving healthcare accessibility, Andando is excited to announce the opening of our 15th rural community health center in the remote village of Mbida. Nestled in the grazing lands south of the Senegal River, Mbida is home to over 500 indigenous Pulaar pastoralists, a population whose access to healthcare remains a constant challenge. The migratory lifestyle of Pulaar herders, coupled with the remote and dispersed locations of their villages, makes it difficult for community members to receive timely and adequate medical care. This is especially true for maternal and child health, where timely interventions are vital to improving outcomes for both mothers and their children.
The entire village of Mbida, along with representatives from the regional Health Authority in Podor, turned out to celebrate the Grand Opening of the new health center.
The people of Mbida understand the importance of healthcare and have worked to host periodic clinics in temporary structures so that their community could receive care. Despite their dedication though, the lack of proper facilities limited the services that could be provided in these clinics, and home births without access to sanitation or skilled assistance were common.
“It was difficult before we had a health center here, if someone was delivering or if you have an emergency case you have to take a donkey or horse cart [to the regional hospital] and if there’s no transportation we would call and wait for an ambulance to come and take us there. And you know it was very difficult for us.”
It was for this reason that in 2023, the Health Ministry reached out to Andando to propose Mbida as the site of a new regional health center to serve 15 remote villages in the area and over 1,000 people who have never had access to proper healthcare facilities.
Cutting the ribbon at the Grand Opening Ceremony of the new health center.
Thanks to the continued support of Hub City Church of Albany, Oregon, an incredible fundraising event put on by Carreau Club of Brooklyn, New York, and generous contributions from donor Brad Barker, we were able to rapidly realize this new community facility which opened its doors at the end of June 2024.
With private rooms for consultation, delivery, and recovery, as well as solar power, refrigeration, and clean running water, the healthcare workers here now have the means to make significant improvements in health outcomes for their community.
“We are very thankful for Andando and what they have done for us. This health center will help all the surrounding villages. And all of them, the people, know they can come here now to receive care or to deliver here. What we see here, this center that Andando brought here, nothing like it exists in this area. That’s why we are so happy and so proud of it. Thank you!”
Andando is proud to partner with the people of Mbida as they serve their community and pave the way for a brighter future for generations to come.
