Once the building was complete, new tasks lay ahead, because the hospital needed water and electricity. For this, the president of the C.V.D. found another sponsor to pay for a well to be drilled and a water tank built. There is no gridded electricity in my village, so solar panels and wiring were put in by a local solar panel company. Then, once everything was ready, health care workers had to be found for the new facility. For this, the C.V.D. had to register the hospital with the mayor’s office and request the National Ministry of Health to send healthcare workers to our village.
Last week, nearly two years after clearing the land, the new hospital was inaugurated. The whole village came out to celebrate! Our first health care worker, the head nurse, attended the celebration. The midwife and the birth attendant will arrive in the upcoming weeks. The celebration was joyous! Many important people came, including the mayor, the county-level director of health services, a leader from CimTogo, the village chief, and all of the neighborhood chiefs. After everyone had given speeches, the mayor cut the ribbon across the door and the everyone poured inside to see the new building. A traditional sacrificial offering of a white chicken and local alcohol was made to bless the building. Christian and Muslim leaders offered prayers of gratitude and ongoing success for the hospital. Soon after the ribbon had been cut, clouds burst open and it began to rain. It felt like a blessing, a good sign! After the rain washed everything clean, the celebration moved back outside. The dancing began!
