Chad Marks Independence Day
Work of OLA Sisters continues in three locations as country deals with refugee influx.
OLA Sisters and staff of the the CDSDN Health Centre in N'Djamena, capital of Chad.
Today, August 11th, marks the 56th anniversary of Chad’s independence. Chad is located in the central part of north Africa with Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, Central African Republic to the south, Nigeria and Cameroon to the south west and Niger to the west. Most of the northern part of Chad lies within the Sahara desert and the more arable land lies to the south, where Lake Chad is located.
According to the United Nations, more than 80% of Chadians are living below the poverty line. Over the past fifteen years, many hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled to Chad from the Darfur Region of Sudan and the Central African Republic. Added to this, many thousands have been displaced within Chad itself due to conflict.
The new maternity wing of the CDSDN health centre. The opening ceremony for the new maternity wing.
The OLA Sisters have worked in Chad for many years and it recently became an OLA District in French speaking west Africa. In the capital, N’Djamena, the Sisters run the CDSDN health centre. The centre treats those with cholera, HIV/Aids, tuberculosis, malaria and malnutrition among other ailments. Recently a new maternity wing opened at the facility. The centre is managed by an OLA Sister, Dr. Emilienne Soubeiga.
Medics at the CDSDN health centre analyse results of the new ultra sound machine which has helped with earlier interventions.
While Chad faces many challenges, the support from outside continues to make a real difference to the lives of Chadians. Last year, Sr. Emilienne expressed a desire to purchase an ultra sound machine to assist earlier diagnosis of patients. The OLA Sisters in France launched a fund-raising campaign and on Christmas Eve the machine was purchased. Earlier this year, it was transported to N’Djamena and in April 2016 alone 644 ultra sounds were performed.
The OLA District of Chad has communities in N’Djamena, Bousso and Sarh. The OLA Sisters in the District of Chad run educational facilities and health centres while also carrying out pastoral works in each of the three areas.
