Skip to contents
In This Issue:
“You have no idea how much hope you bring to us.”
That’s what a man in Bizana told BWH’s Shannah Young and fellow Sibusiso voulunteers in July during her three-week trip to South Africa. “I had no idea how significant the need is over there,” said Young, who began this month as a Nurse Practitioner in Plastic Surgery.
Young’s trip stemmed from her volunteer involvement with Boston-based Sibusiso. Stephanie Ahmed, also a nurse practitioner in BWH Plastic Surgery, serves as president of the non-profit Sibusiso. Named for the Zulu word for “blessings,” Sibusiso was founded in 2003 by Sheila Davis and Chris Shaw of MGH.
Among its other projects, Sibusiso recently outfitted a treatment room for its rural nurse clinic in Bizana. The funds came from a grateful patient of BWH plastic surgeon Karl Heinz Breuing. In addition, Sibusiso and Bizana-based Mahlungulu Foundation fund a nurse to see patients in that clinic for eight hours each week.
During her visit, Young was made aware of a previously unrealized problem at the clinic. More and more patients are being referred to the clinic for HIV testing, but resources are so scarce, the clinic cannot transport the blood to a nearby laboratory for analysis.
“In order to receive medication to treat their HIV, these patients need to have documentation of their CD4 count. Here are people with the initiative to get tested, seeking care, and the bloods are sitting there going bad,” Young said. That problem can be solved with as little as $2 a week, she added.
During her trip—her first to Bizana—Young was amazed to see first hand how appreciative its people are for the help of Sibusiso. “That’s part of the beauty of these people. They may not have a roof over their heads but they warmly invite you to share all that they have and take nothing for granted,” she said.
To learn more about Sibusiso and its other programs, check out www.sibusisopartners.org