On the 22nd of January EquipLiberia celebrated the opening of a new clinic in Gblarlay, a remote but lively town in Nimba County. The clinic provides health care for an area with a population of over 25,000 people and sees 700 patients a month. Since Gblarlay is located within miles of the border with Ivory Coast, the clinic also sees a large amount of Ivorians desperate for good medical care.The celebrations started the evening before the event as the air of festivity in the town erupted into dancing and drumming, which went on all night. In the morning the fattened cow was killed and everyone gathered around the cooking pots preparing okra, palm butter, and of course, rice for the ceremony.
The ceremony was held just outside the clinic under a vast canopy of palm branches. Representatives from Equip, the local community, the Ivorians, the government, and the County Health Team all spoke. Together they told a story of a town in need and group of people who were willing to sacrifice so much to make this new clinic possible. The speeches were spaced out by different performances from local cultural groups.
After the program was completed and the ribbon across the door was cut, the food was served. All in all it was a festive celebration of a new clinic that will bring good quality, primary health care to a large area, saving thousands of lives.
Here are some photos from the event:
The cooks preparing the food
Two of the cultural dancers
1 comment:
It's great to see this day finally come! I know you all are grateful to the OIC, Joseph Kilikpo and Alimso Paygar (if he's still around) for all their hard work! Thanks for sharing the story and pics! Congrats on your 10 year anniversary! Cheers.
Post a Comment