A container for Benin thanks to our generous donors
At the end of April, a new container full to overflowing left for Benin.
Five months ago, in December, we began collecting materials, based on the recommendations of the local Foundation team in Benin and the two hospitals on site. We focus mainly on things that are not or hardly available in Benin, or that are available at very high prices.
Dozens of emails and countless phone calls showed great interest of companies, organizations, schools, physicians and individuals in the mission of the Foundation. Our new website certainly helps to get the message across. Our generous donors have donated and/or sponsored very beautiful and precious material for Benin, including an ambulance, an ultrasound scanner, a dental chair, a gynaecological examination table, a physiotherapy table, two electric motorcycles, about twenty oxygen concentrators, complete stocks of medical and surgical equipment as well as dozens of computers and printers.
From March onwards we were able to pick up the material and store it in the premises of Wereld Missie Hulp who, as usual, handled the logistics perfectly. And this time it wasn’t easy. Not only an ambulance but also expensive and fragile medical and IT equipment had to be loaded into the container.
Alas, not everything fit in the container. Thanks to the help of Liantis (formerly Provikmo) we were able to buy a medical truck at a favourable price. This vehicle was loaded onto another ship and has meanwhile arrived at the port of Cotonou.
The many sponsors and donors made it possible for us to send many valuable and indispensable instruments and materials to our team, projects, hospitals and schools in Benin.
We would like to mention and thank in particular :
Air Liquide VitalAire, AZ Nikolaas, Barthels Medical, Hospitalen zonder Grenzen, Katholiek Onderwijs Vlaanderen, Liantis, Machteld Cuyt, Materialise, Odisee Hogeschool, PPDI, UCLL Hogeschool, Vlaamse Kruis, Zorggroep Multiversum and the medical practitioners Jan Aerts, Liesbet Damen, Hein Knapen, Rudi Ryckaert et Chris Vereecke.
Our ambition is to send a container twice a year. Several sponsors and donors have already committed to a future shipment. They could not deliver because of the Covid-19. So keep an eye out for the possible availability of any medical, educational and IT equipment that could be useful to Benin and keep us informed!
We are fully aware that we would never be able to gather all this valuable material and send it to its destination without the commitment, contacts and efforts of our many volunteers.
We send them ten thousand thanks!
