Day 8

Bandage and ointment for a burnt child in Eritrea

Children are playing and romping - suddenly the kerosene stove falls over!

Medical aid for children with burns in Eritrea | Medical aid for children suffering from burns in Eritrea

People in Germany know kerosene as fuel for airplanes: an explosive substance. Many people in poor countries use kerosene for cooking. There is no electricity and firewood is scarce. There is often a lot of activity around the cooking area. Children run around or are even responsible for the fire. The huts are cramped, the equipment is often defective. A hectic movement can be enough to turn the cooker into an incendiary bomb. The victims - mostly children - suffer gruesome injuries. If the wounds are not treated, many children die or suffer terrible disfigurements: fingers that have grown together, arms that fuse with the upper body. Burns are a cruel fate and many children are scarred for life without medical treatment.

need

Medical supplies for burn-injured children in Eritrea.

activity

The HAMMER FORUM provides the burn center in Asmara with a year's supply of bandages, ointments and surgical materials.

Measurable performance

The need for bandages, ointments and surgical supplies for around 8,000 patients has been met. Local doctors and nurses can treat the children with burn injuries.

Result

The rate of complications (infections, skin contractures) and the number of fatal outcomes from burns in Eritrea is decreasing.

Systemically relevant impact

Improved medical infrastructure for children with burn injuries in Eritrea. Doctors and nurses are trained locally.

background

Burns are one of the typical injuries caused by poverty in developing countries, as handling kerosene or open fire is part of everyday life. Women and children are particularly affected by accidents. Even in well-equipped clinics in Europe, the treatment of burns is complex, time-consuming and expensive. In many African countries, however, where there are particularly many and severe burn victims, the care situation is catastrophic. Until 2008, there were no hospitals or doctors in Eritrea, one of the poorest countries in Africa, who could adequately treat patients with burns. The burned skin was simply covered with ash or animal skins to dry the wounds. This resulted in severe scarring that made the patients immobile, as well as infections that could sometimes be fatal. With the help of donations, the HAMMER FORUM opened a center for burn victims in the capital Asmara. It has a modern operating room, special treatment pools, trained staff and beds for around 20 patients. To this day, this ward is the only facility nationwide for burn victims. Patients from all over Eritrea travel to the capital Asmara to receive treatment here. The effects of the decades-long war with neighboring Ethiopia are still felt in Eritrea. The Eritrean state is making great efforts to improve medical care for the population. But without the support of the HAMMER FORUM, the small hospital would not be able to finance the special dressings, medication and surgical materials.

The good deed

The burn center in Asmara is the only one in the country, and the number of patients is correspondingly high. Up to 8,000 patients are treated every year - 90% of them are children. The treatment is very complex: simple burns are covered with ointment dressings. These are special dressings that do not stick to the injured skin. These dressings must be changed regularly. Deep burns do not heal on their own and require surgery. For this purpose, thin layers of skin are taken from healthy parts of the body and placed on the injured areas so that they grow there. The families of the injured children often come from poor backgrounds and cannot afford treatment. The HAMMER FORUM wants to help these children and donate the annual requirement of dressings, ointments and surgical materials.