Blog — KENWARDISMS

Hi everyone,

Dignitas International is a medical and research organization dedicated to improving access to life-saving treatment and care for HIV, TB and related diseases in poor communities. Sonia and I went to Malawi earlier this month to meet with Dignitas’ senior leadership, researchers and front line workers.

The driving force behind Dignitas is Dr. James Orbinski, who, after visiting Rwanda as a medical student in his twenties in 1988, became:

the medical coordinator for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Somalia during the Somalian civil war and famine in 1992-1993;
the Head of Mission for MSF in Rwanda during the genocide of 1994, where he and a small team worked tirelessly tending to thousands upon thousands of casualties. (In fourteen weeks 800,000 men, women and children were killed, half a million more were injured and millions were displaced).
the Head of Mission for MSF in Zaire during the refugee crises there in 1996-1997; and then.
President of the International Council of MSF when the organization received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999.

James wrote a book recording his experiences entitled “An Imperfect Offering”, which shares with readers his experiences in some of the darkest places in recent history (many of which, including the excerpt noted at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2140743.An_Imperfect_Offering (Nastassja, January 4, 2012), are heart wrenching).

James’ response to the depravity and devastation he experienced has been to work to improve the lives of the world’s most needy in as productive and compassionate a way as possible. James co-founded Dignitas International in 2004, with the aim of advancing front-line health care and research in order to treat patients and strengthen the health systems of impoverished communities. While Dignitas works with first nations in Canada, its focus in Africa is in Malawi, which, while a democracy and a country of real beauty, is one of the five poorest countries in the world (as listed by the World Health Organization).

Having been to Africa on a number of occasions with various organizations, and having followed Dignitas for years, I can attest that it is easily the most effective, efficient and thoughtful NGO I have run across. James and his team are truly remarkable.

In terms of ‘front-line care’, what Sonia and I, and the others who came, saw included:

a number of clinics providing front line care, including with the participation of patients who have now become “expert clients” and who provide peer support and perform tasks like measuring vital signs, recording weight, etc., in order to alleviate demands of an under-funded and overwhelmed health system. Dignitas supports 174 health centres covering a population of more than 3.1 million people, and has helped more than 272,00 people start lifesaving HIV treatment;
Zomba Central Prison, the only maximum security prison in Malawi, which houses prisoners with long sentences for serious offences. Having been built in 1935 to accommodate 800 inmates, the prison now houses 2,700 men and 35 women in rough, overcrowded and unsafe conditions (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malawi_Prison_System). The results Dignitas has achieved have been amazing, with between 92 and 95% of prisoners now registering an HIV viral load at below detectable limits, as a result of receiving and staying in treatment;
“Teen clubs” where 3500 teenagers facing particularly acute risks of alienation and ostracization find a safe space and peer support for receiving medications, playing interactive games, learning about their health challenges and forming supportive relationships. The net effect has been to triple the likelihood of staying in treatment (with 98% now adhering); and
practices and care to prevent mother-to-child transmission by mothers with HIV giving birth and nursing.

A unique aspect of Dignitas’ work is its research and policy development side, where Dignitas:

considers the obstacles and issues that arise in its front-line work, and then conducts research and prepares papers recording the outcomes, with dozens of those papers having been accepted in medical journals; and
synthesizes the results into lay language, to enable Dignitas to work with policy makers to initiate improvements and scale them to a variety of settings.

Dignitas’ funding sources in the US are presently facing a risk of substantial cuts by the new Administration. Dignitas warrants, and could really use, financial support from anyone with an interest in contributing effectively to relieving the suffering of sick and poor people with little or no other options.

If you would like to know more, let us know. You can also have a look at D I GNITAS WEBSITE, and if you wish to donate can do so HERE.

Photos

1. Front Line Clinics