I’m sure those of you who contributed to this cause are wondering exactly what kind of an impact you made, and those yet to donate want to see what they can do. As of today, $2,600 USD have been raised by the people listed here.
First of all I’d like to once again thank everyone who made a contribution, whether it was $3.00, or whether it was $300, because everything counts, especially in Cameroon. For reference, $3.00 will buy a breakfast, lunch, and an accompanying drink, with a little to spare. Over 50 people made a contribution – college students, teachers, friends, and people I don’t even know – pretty amazing. Donations came in all forms as well, via internet, in the mail, hand delivered cheques, and inebriated cash donations at a bar. So I thank you! Let me first give you the context of how much value your donations had.
Dr. Bwelle and me: just two regular dudes
Dr. Georges Bwelle, the surgeon who leads the whole organization, is a GI surgeon at the Central Hospital in Yaounde, Cameroon, the capital and second largest city. Yaounde has 1.43 million inhabitants, more than two Bostons, and would rank as the 7th most populous city in the U.S. The point is that there are a lot of sick people, and that any person who works in a big city, specifically a doctor will make a substantial amount in the U.S. It seems reasonable I suppose, there’s a lot of schooling involved, a lot of responsibility, long hours, but doctors don’t really do it for the money, especially not in Cameroon. Doctors in Cameroon are viewed as civic servants and they are paid that way. The average surgeon in Dr. Bwelle seniority level makes approximately $500 a month, that’s $6000 a year. Let’s think about that for a second.
Continue reading ‘How Donations Were Used…’
