Chinese goodies for children’s home
By Paul Jimbo
A group of Chinese medical doctors have feted a local children’s home with an early Christmas gift.
The 15-member 9th bench of Chinese medical team gifted the Confident Children Out of Conflict with foodstuffs, footballs and other nutritional supplements.
Team leader Dr Ding Zheng said the aid came from the People’s Republic of China government.
The team is composed of 13 doctors and two assistant staff. They include; paediatricians, gynaecologists, operating room specialists, dermatologists, lab technicians, ENT specialists and imagery technicians.
“We are based at Juba Teaching and Referral Hospital and we work very closely with local medical teams to provide health services to the people of South Sudan. This outreach activity is part of our government’s continued support for the people of this great nation,” said Zheng.
The children’s home hosts about 60 children, some rescued from armed groups, gender based violence and medical conditions.
Speaking to Juba Echo at the side-lines of the fete, Zheng said, “We scaled down our activities because of the effects of Covid-19. Most cases we handle include chronic skin diseases, Malaria, Pneumonia and Tuberculosis”.
The medical team is funded by the Chinese government to support both the Juba Orphanage Home and the Confident Children Out of Conflict.
“We are also going to remote areas like Torit, Paloch, Rumbek and many more places.All we do is to help rebuild South Sudan by working with local medical experts,” Zheng said.
The orphanage director Hellen Boro expressed her gratitude to the Chinese delegation saying the Chinese government has consistently supported them over the past years.
“These children are not only orphans but also have different challenges including being IDPs, street children, refugees and survivors of early and forced marriages,” Hellen said.
She said the support from the Chinese medical team came in handy and appealed to more well wishers to follow suit in their cooperate social responsibilities.
“It is not our joy to keep these children here but due to the many challenges in South Sudan, most parents have absconded their parental roles. Because of poverty, some of these children tell us their parents live in the Juba cemetery and cannot fend for them,” Hellen said.
