More Than Meets the Eye
Bongolo Hospital sits approximately 150 miles south of the equator in the village of Lebamba, Gabon. Since it is on the equator the seasons are similar year-round.
There is a rainy season which really means 15 to 20 thunderstorms per month. In the dry season there may be as few as 4 per month or one every 7 days or so. The average temperature year-round is between 68 and 85 degrees, with spikes over 100 degrees.
It is always very humid, always too warm and humid for westerners but very comfortable for native Gabonese.
The humidity effects everything. It supports an amazing variety of insects and guarantees thick and lush fauna. Fruits grow around the calendar so there are always fresh fruits to pick or buy, and they seem to be everywhere.
It would be difficult for a Gabonese to starve because fruits are abundant and there for the picking. Outrageously brilliant flowers seem to spring from nowhere and anywhere at the same time and any view is decorated with cloud white egrets that seem to be there for no reason except to capture attention and hold the eye.
This seeming garden of Eden betrays some sobering truths.
When Bongolo Hospital was established 60% of babies died by the age of 5. Many women and babies died in childbirth.
Astonishing Progress
By 1990, thanks to the work of Bongolo Hospital, the mortality rate had improved for children under 5 from 60% to 10%. By 2020 the latest date for statistics that number is 4.1%. But, compared to the USA in 2020 the rate was .063%.
The astonishing progress and immeasurable blessings brought by Bongolo Hospital to the people of Gabon are always on the edge of jeopardy due to inadequate funding. Your contributions enable us to remain and thrive in this remote and underserved area.
Bongolo Hospital has not only brought health, but also light. The local town of Lebamba has grown up around the hospital. It has brought the light of the Gospel as well as schools, churches, and businesses. It has introduced sanitization as well as introduced public health matters.
The entire local community has benefited from the faithfulness of those who have supported Bongolo Hospital over the last 45 years since it was established in 1977.
Thank you for joining us in this great endeavor.
