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(Italiano) Missione in Madagascar 2021

// Wednesday April 14th, 2021 // Leave a Comment // Category: report

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(Italiano) In campo contro il Covid-19

// Tuesday March 24th, 2020 // Leave a Comment // Category: Annunci

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MISSION TO MADAGASCAR JANUARY 2020

// Friday January 31st, 2020 // Leave a Comment // Category: report

A short technical-logistics mission to Madagascar has just ended with the dual objective of organizing and directing the maintenance and careening of the Elpis ship and of organizing the scheduled healthcare activity as soon as the works are completed.

The repair, careening and complete repainting of the ship were entrusted to a shipyard in Helle Ville in Nosy Be (Mr Remi Tomboravo Tomboarivo) and are carried out taking advantage of the vast excursions of the tide, sometimes even 4 meters, working on the submerged part of the hull when the ship remains aground. Unconventional system but the same efficient one, which however will extend the works for about two months.

During the mission, the planning and organization of the next health activity in Madagascar was also planned, which will focus on helping the most marginalized and needy populations living in disadvantaged areas of the country, in harmony with the spirit that has always animated the realization of the Elpis ship.

In fact, immediately after the end of the works and the rainy season, the Elpis ship will move to Nosy Mitsio, an island about 25 miles from Madagascar, where about 2000 people live in precarious conditions, without electricity, without water and with health represented by a hut / infirmary where a single doctor, without means, can only have his knowledge to cure typhoid, malaria, various infections, neoplasms etc .. We have been asked to intervene in this context, and after an inspection carried out to evaluate the possibilities to anchor the ship, agreements were made with the village leaders and the transfer of Elpis was agreed during the month of April.

A health and epidemiological screening program of the whole population will be carried out, with multi-specialist care, an adequate infirmary will be set up and supplied with drugs and equipment and training will be carried out with respect to the local health personnel. The data collected in a final report will then be communicated to the Malagasy government in compliance with the health cooperation agreement already entered into for some time.

This activity will be carried out in partnership with the “Help for Optimism” H4O association which has already started the construction of a water network on the island for some time and with another French association that will take care of the nutrition aspect of the population and the teaching of techniques of cultivation respecting the local environmental balance.
This project is expected to engage the Elpis ship and the association for a period of one to two months, after which the ship will move to other locations with the same characteristics of necessity and which have already requested their intervention.
Giancarlo Ungaro

TOGETHER FOR HEALTH EMERGENCIES

// Monday December 2nd, 2019 // Leave a Comment // Category: report

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Elpis in Madagascar: the first missions

// Monday September 16th, 2019 // Leave a Comment // Category: report

The first missions of the volunteers of our Association on the ship Elpis, which is now anchored at anchor in Ankify, in the North West of Madagascar, have recently concluded.

From the beginning of June until a few days ago, Arch. Natale Vulpetti, with coordination functions and with the purpose of planning contacts with local patterns, preparing the logistics for the completion of health missions, contacting and eventually recruiting local labor. Together with him the trusted and tenacious John Dadzie who has never left Elpis since January 2018, showing great devotion and a sense of responsibility.

The first health mission was carried out from 8 to 23 July by the cardiologist Dr. Rosalba Sciacca, who committed herself to assisting the local population both at Ankify and at the San Damien hospital in Ambanja, a facility with which it was planned a cooperation that will last for the coming months. In fact, the bases have been laid, already started by the Bishop of Ambanja Monsignor Rosario Vella, for a collaborative relationship with Dr. Baptistine and with Dr. Jeromine, as well as with the Director Father R. J.P. Elisée.

The second mission, with a technical logistics footprint and the goal of starting the most urgent ship maintenance jobs, unfortunately unavoidably neglected during the transfer journey, was led by Dr. Paolo Rossi and took place on board during the month of August. Thanks to the considerable contribution in technical materials and supply made available by the Motomarine Company of Trieste and to the collaboration of the mechanic Bruno Stanissa, also hiring local workers, it was possible to rebuild the stern platform, completely destroyed by a storm in Gambia, it was revised and repainted the entire deck, the quarterdeck and parts of the sides. In addition, various components of the ship’s armament were repaired and the first contacts were made with the nearby shipyards where it was possible to carry out the careening, which by now could not be settled.

A third mission is scheduled for the end of September (25 September – 10/16 October), with a mainly health-care objective of performing surgical and urological activities at the San Damien Hospital in Ambanja and probably at the Santa Maria delle Ospedale Thanks of Nosy Be. At the same time maintenance work on the ship will be continued, with particular attention to machines and engines. This mission involves the participation of a surgeon (G. Ungaro), an internist (R. Caizza), a urologist (V. Militi), an anesthesiologist (G.Vaccaro), a chief engineer (S. Federico) and a technician electromechanical (V. Giacalone). The mission will also aim to verify the feasibility of health missions in some nearby islands that have already requested it and where, as emerged from preliminary contacts with local authorities and missionaries, there is no health facility and the inhabitants are forced to move by sea on land, something that most of the times cannot be done due to the considerable unsustainable costs.

The program of missions also includes a further surgical team led by Dr. F. Cannizzaro and an orthopedic-rehabilitation group led by Dr. C. Triscari.

This brief statement wants to be an incentive for doctors, healthcare professionals and technicians to evaluate the possibility of participating in these initiatives in favor of populations that are really in need of health care, just as our association has been doing for many years.

September 2019

Giancarlo Ungaro

(Italiano) ELPIS è giunta in Madagascar!

// Thursday April 25th, 2019 // Leave a Comment // Category: report

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