We have found having clear goals and sticking to them the only way to avoid being overwhelmed when so many needy causes come across your desk.

Our goals are clear and ingrained in all we do and have evolved to

• morechildsurgeries
• targeted incentives for hospital medical workers
• sustainable local hospitals

They are circular in that one goal feeds off the other. As you have morechildsurgeries you will have more income for staff and the hospital, which in turn allows morechildsurgeries

They are verifiable to all key players – sponsors in richer countries and partners, the medical workers in Africa. They are relatable because they are simple, measurable (and verifiable) and beneficial (pay and feelgood) to the sponsors, the medical workers and of course the focus, the children. They are common to all players – donors, doctors, cleaners, children, parents, community.

They are scalable as they are repeatable, relatable.

Finally the goals are non-political, non-religious, non …. – it’s hard to disagree with them and that in turn could foster major improvements in a community’s bedrock; its health and health systems, which in turn will improve its education and economy.

We have no mantra, no agenda and no motive other than morechildsurgeries of an improving quality that can change lives for the better (by any measurement).

Putting meaningless numbers up is just that, meaningless – that is why our focus is the name of a child, details of their surgery and the outcome of hopefully, one life change.

However, we do dream of those crazy numbers occasionally

999 surgeries then

999 surgeries per annum then

999 surgeries per annum at a 99.9 quality rate

999 surgeries per annum and 999 surgeries into another hospital then

999 surgeries per annum and 999 hospitals in Africa and then

999 surgeries per annum from 999 hospitals in Africa at a 99.9 quality rate

= 998,001 surgeries each year

998,001 surgeries each year at $200 per surgery and $100 per ancillary

= $200,400,300

Which should be enough to start asking – have we all done enough, is the job done?

We constantly look at the goal through the lens of

onemorechildsurgery and could it have been better.

We found we had preconceptions on colour and geography and poverty, based on what we learnt when we were young. This makes new steps hard. But if you take them, then new learnings open up your life and valuable new partnerships form.   

If you wanted to help an African child why would you not deal directly with an African doctor? Because……….. and your initial list of reasons why you cannot do that builds, ours did at first.

And from that, your first solution is help in your own country (noble enough). However if you still want to help the African child then you look for infrastructure that gives you comfort which is seldom African – maybe an African charity based in a  country you feel you know better and…….. within an instant, the cost of getting the help to Africa has lengthened in time dramatically and the value of your effort/donation diminished and finally the chance of helping has in all likelihood reduced.

There is enough wealth in the world to solve African medical poverty – but it’s not happening (yet). Why not? Communication?

Back to the child – more “noise” creeps into your mind and eventually your donation becomes too hard.

Yet a WhatsApp call, a photo and a direct bank transfer of $200 are all things you can do in 5 minutes, with basically no training.

You can talk direct to a community health worker or a doctor and save a life right now – if you really want to.

Jambo

Communication – language and conversations. Google isn’t perfect and after the third sentence you have forgotten the content of the second and the flow or reason of your first because you are so focussed on understanding what each word means. Long agendas do not work.

It’s the same in reverse – keep it simple – keep repeating – google isn’t perfect and pictures and short written exchanges work better. Keep the meetings on zoom for relationship building.

sawa

A big surprise it’s not a concept for all.

It’s not the most common outcome measure in many things.

Verification of money is popular; however verification of good child outcomes is not as popular.

In children’s surgery quality of outcome is hugely important.

We have largely set up our APP as a form a child safety.

Its not perfect but its a whole lot better than just winging it.

Here are additional rules and registrations we try to adhere to

DOCTORS

• Only the approved list of doctors will operate on the children we sponsor
• Their qualifications medically – eg proof you receive when you engage them
• Their specialities – what you as a hospital assess they can carry out competently

SURGERY

• All operations are peer reviewed prior to starting surgery
• All operations follow the WHO Surgical Checklist
• All operations have an Aftercare Plan

AFTERCARE

• That all operations have a before and after picture
• That all children stay the time needed in hospital and are fed 2 meals a day
• That any medications/prosthetics/plan for parents are given at time of leaving or in follow up – we will pay for all

EMOTIONAL/PHYSICAL/MENTAL HEALTH

• All children are in fresh linen beds
• All children we sponsor are in public wards (preferably for children)
• All children we sponsor have a visit from doctor/nurse every day
• All children are involved in painting/sport or music every day
• All children are visited by Community Health Worker and a report sent

INSTAGRAM / VIDEOS / PICTURES

• No child is photographed without clothes on
• No child is photographed without parents permission
• No child is identified with real name of village or name that goes public – change name and village
• No culturally inappropriate pictures to be uploaded publicly

the smart and genuine money is finding what is working not reinventing it.

Community Health Workers  or Outreach workers work.

They are the glue that keeps the child’s journey safe and progressing.

They are as important as the surgeon and the donor.

A really good video on the subject of CHW’s or outreach workers is from Living Goods – we really admire their work: