Monrovia — Church Aid Incorporated, in collaboration with its local partner OCM Health Team, celebrated its 26th anniversary over the weekend in the Township of Caldwell. The event gathered about one hundred people, including individuals suffering from hearing impairments, elders, and community members from District #11, Montserrado County.
During the program, approximately one hundred individuals with hearing difficulties were screened and tested, while foreign objects were removed from the ears of two participants.
Delivering the keynote address, Dr. Paye N. Gbanmie, Medical Director at the government-run hospital in Duport Road and Team Lead of OCM Health Team, called on the government of Liberia to support the efforts of Church Aid Incorporated. The organization has been providing free medical outreach services across the country since its establishment 26 years ago.
Dr. Gbanmie emphasized the need for greater collaboration between Church Aid Incorporated, policymakers, and healthcare providers to create an enabling environment that complements their efforts. He announced that OCM Health Team looks forward to partnering with Church Aid Incorporated to refer cases of hearing disabilities identified during their medical and surgical outreach activities.
"Dr. Thomas Nimene Tweh Jr. will closely monitor the progress of those patients and provide the necessary assistance for their recovery," Dr. Gbanmie stated.
The OCM team also expressed readiness to provide hands-on training to clinicians, offer medical supplies, and assist organizations like Church Aid Incorporated in their mission. However, they stressed that achieving the goal of alleviating hearing disabilities requires cooperation and support from local community leaders.
Dr. Gbanmie urged community members not to stigmatize individuals with hearing disabilities but rather support Church Aid's initiatives.
He delivered these remarks on behalf of Dr. Thomas Nimene Tweh Jr., commonly known as "Original Country Man," during the 26th-anniversary celebration of Church Aid Incorporated.
Bishop Kortu K. Brown, General Overseer of New Water in the Desert Apostolic Pentecostal International, also spoke at the event. He cited World Health Organization (WHO) statistics, noting that approximately 150 million people worldwide suffer from hearing disabilities, with about 15 percent of Liberia's population affected.
Bishop Brown, who is also a former President of the Liberia Council of Churches, highlighted that the promotion of hearing healthcare awareness is vital to restoring those who have faced hearing challenges for years.
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Last year, Church Aid, in collaboration with its international partners, trained four nurses in Hearing Healthcare to assist in screening and treating individuals with hearing complications. The trainees, who attended the program in Zambia, included P. Magdalene Konneh from John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Montserrado County, Hannah H. Newah from the Government Hospital in Tubmanburg, Bomi County, D. Iben Porkpah, and Moses Biman Jr., both from Curran Lutheran Hospital in Lofa County.
Earlier this year, another four nurses left Liberia to undergo similar training. They include Blessing Acquire from the Government Hospital in Grand Bassa County, Georgia A. Gray from Redemption Hospital in Montserrado County, Naomi Smith from C.D. Dunbar Hospital in Bong County, and Vanja Mama Kowula from C.H. Rennie Hospital in Margibi County.
Church Aid, in collaboration with its international partners, plans to train about twenty nurses to be stationed at government hospitals across Liberia to assist those with hearing issues. Currently, Liberia has only one Hearing Healthcare specialist, based at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Sinkor. This shortage of specialists has driven Church Aid to embark on training nurses to support the government's efforts.
Church Aid Incorporated is the relief arm of New Water in the Desert Apostolic Pentecostal International, based in Brewerville, outside Monrovia.
