Without electricity to guide us, and led by both Chief Nurse Evelyn as well as a team of 4 physicians and 15 medical students, baby “Kofi” was born last week in Exam room #1 of the Oworobong Clinic.

At 12 midnight, The Rohde Foundation/NYIT/NYCOM team was notified of the pregnant mothers long “labor walk” towards the Oworobong Clinic in the middle of the night. The resourceful team used headlamps to set up the delivery room, hang IV’s, prepare for the delivery, and medically manage both mother and baby through the delivery process.

After approximately 2 hours of labor, the baby boy was welcomed into the arms of the neonatal team. As cries were heard, both team and mother celebrated the successful delivery.

For those 1st year medical students, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. For those further along in their training, this was an opportunity to take a leadership role with ingenuity and resourcefulness at a high. For the faculty and residents, this night was both one for teaching, and a test of decision-making acumen with limited resources.

Mother and baby slept comfortably in the Oworobong Clinic. Both returned home, with family the following morning. Follow-up was without incident.

It is the aim of The Rohde Foundation to provide health care that is both comprehensive and globally equitable. As we confront the challenges of medicine in the developing world, we rejoice in the opportunity to affect lives, and at the same time be affected by those moments that force us to close our eyes and be thankful.

It is the image of Oworobong’s dark night, a group of medical professionals equipped with head lamps, medicines, and medical supplies, and the relationship (with very few words) between those who set out to provide access to health care in the developing world, and those who walk the quiet path in search of the asssitance of kind strangers.

We are grateful…