Growth!

​As I return from a one-month leave, I’m happy to see that the Nyamata compassion community clinic is running well. It has officially been upgraded to a teaching hospital, and I believe the transformation of the dental clinic played a significant role. The HHOA Rwanda team is exploring ways to create a more sustainable system for Nyamata and is continuing to pursue the completion of the satellite clinic in Ngeruka by the end of the year.

In addition to the development of the compassion community clinic, the HHOA Rwanda team has been growing and developing as well. For the past year, we have had two Korean dental missionaries working with the HHOA team, and just recently, Dr. Park completed his one-year internship and is now free to work and learn at our clinic in Nyamata. Dr. Jang recently graduated from dental school and has one more year in his internship before he can join the team at Nyamata full-time. So for the next year, we will have THREE of our doctors working with me at Nyamata!
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Two of our Rwandan doctors, Dr. Alex and Dr. Aimable, are also growing their dental skills and knowledge to better serve their community and country. Usually, Rwandan doctors are required to serve at a public hospital for 4 years after completing their internship. However, I recently found out that if they are accepted to a specialty program outside of Rwanda (Rwanda has none), they only have to serve two years. In a nation of 12 million people, Rwanda only has two oral surgeons, so the need for specialists is very high! As a result, Dr. Alex and Dr. Aimable are in the process of applying to oral surgery programs in several countries. If accepted, they will be spending four years outside of Rwanda and will return to work for HHOA in various capacities. They will also have the opportunity to serve the country by teaching at the dental school. Please pray that both will get accepted into a program.