ImaBridge's 2019-2020 Rotary District 6440 Grant totalled $4,578 or 43.6% of ImaBridge’s Project Total Budget: $10,500.00. Huntly Rotary Club added $1,108 and the Rotary Club of McHenry added $3,470.
Pictured from left to right are Ron Bykowski (Chair of the Rotary of McHenry Charitable Foundation), John Halbleib (Immediate Past President of the McHenry Club), Mark Gibson, Suzanne Gibson (Rotary District 6440 Governor), Karen Hutchings (Huntly Club - Secretary), Carolyn Okafor (Huntley Club Foundation Chair), Cecilia Adams (ImaBridge Team Member), Christine Carrington (ImaBridge President and Board), Denis Buch (Member of the McHenry Rotary Club), and Father Godwin (ImaBridge and Co-Chair of McHenry Rotary Club's International Avenue of Service).
ImaBridge Africa takes a mission trip to Nigeria annually for 3 weeks in January. All mission trip participants pay for all their own expenses for the trip. Volunteers travel from across the United States as well as from the UK. There is also a team of volunteers in Nigeria; physician, nurses, pharmacists, lab techs and students who also volunteer their time.
The ImaBridge team provides 10-12 medical outreaches in rural villages with no access to healthcare, across Akwa Ibom & Anambra States, Nigeria. 600+ villagers; from infants to the elderly are seen at each medical outreach. Screening for diabetes, hypertension, malaria, HIV, cholera and many other medical conditions is provided. Every villager is seen and evaluated by a physician. Laboratory tests are performed as ordered by the physicians as needed.
The ImaBridge team purchases and carries over 500 pounds of medications and supplies with them to Nigeria. Malaria medication is purchased in Nigeria; as about 50% of villagers evaluated have malaria. Pharmacists and nurses, distributed medications are prescribed by the physicians. IV fluids and IV medications are administered by physicians for those individuals who have extremely high blood glucose levels or severe infections. Some villagers are transported to closest hospital by ImaBridge ambulance service.
Physicians also evaluate villagers for those in need of surgery. In January 2019, the ImaBridge surgeons and medical team provided 72 surgeries and follow-up care, free of charge. Villagers with eyesight problems are also evaluated by ophthalmologists and optometrists. In January 2019, 1000 pairs of reading glasses were distributed.
All of these medical outreaches; the evaluation, treatment and medications for 6000+ villagers are provided absolutely free of charge for those in need.