Mission 2 accomplished

 Our mission 2 in the rural  region of Togo around the team of Dr. med. Joachim Deuble (Head of Visceral Surgery, Hospital Trostberg), his wife Dr. med. Stephanie Deuble (Surgeon), Dr. Thomas Lipp (Head of Anesthesia, Klinikum Trostberg), his wife Dagmar Lipp, Prof. Dr. med. Christian Schindlbeck (chief physician gynecology, Traunstein Hospital) and the nurses Daniela Baumann, Alexandra Groess and Andrea Tita came to a successful end. The numbers are impressive:

Already in the run-up to the event, the national team led by Dr. Michel Kodom (Aimes Afrique Togo) examined 5,924 patients from rural areas of Togo. Among them were 2,356 children.

As part of the mission from November 20 to December 2, a total of 474 operations were carried out, of which 119 to children. The range of operations performed was broad and reflected the suffering of the rural population: 278 hernias (inguinal, navel, testis breaks), 60 hydrozelen (accumulations of water in the genital area), 43 lipomas (benign fatty tumors), 8 fibromas (benign growth of the skin ) 9 goiter (enlargement of the thyroid gland / goiter), 3 cesarean sections. In the field of ophthalmology, 38 cataracts and 35 pterygias were operated.

Overall, we helped in 10 different places. Our eight-member team was supported locally by over 90 local doctors and helpers. The Aktion PiT, Togo Hilfe e.V. supported not only on-site with logistics and translators, thanks to the good contacts of Margret Kopp also a partial financing of the mission by the Bavarian Development Aid Ministry could be achieved.

Our team has done everything possible to help as often and as sustainably as possible. Nevertheless, at the end of the long days, untreated patients still stood in front of the doors of the clinics. Such an action goes to the physical and mental powers of the teams: the happiness of being able to help a person to return to normal life, and the joy of just having saved a human life or helping a new life to arrive in the world, is coupled with the despair and helplessness, not to be able to help all local people, or even to see people who can no longer be helped.

What remains is to have helped, the many experiences, the encounters with the local people, the colleagues from Togo, the magical moments with the children, the brief insights we could catch in the country and people. One thing is already certain, Team 2 will set off again for Togo!

Thanks to all who made this mission possible! The Mission 2 team has also borne its own travel expenses to enable all grants and donations to reach patients directly rather than dive into the organization. Please support us further, only in this way can we actually provide real help on the ground. We do not send any help packages, we help ourselves, on site!