We need your help

We're going back! Two and a half years after our first trip to Mbingo Baptist Hospital, Jeff, Noah, Jane, and I are thrilled to be returning to Cameroon. This time, we are taking three residents and our nanny, a teacher, with us. We have many projects on our agenda. We will be leading morning reports, rounding with the Cameroonian residents, and teaching medical courses. I will be working on establishing a long-term research project to address improved neonatal care and prevention of infectious diseases. Two family medicine/psychiatry residents (Mary and Bryan) will be working with the nearby Cameroonian counseling center. A pediatric resident (Hannah) will be helping me teach a neonatal resuscitation course. Our nanny (Sara) is working on her Masters in Speical Education right now, so she will be teaching Noah and Jane and volunteering at Mbingo's school for the deaf.

We believe that Noah's first trip to Cameroon has already made a lasting impact on his life. Many of you have heard his stories about "when I lived in Africa." Just the other day, he told Jane to turn off the faucet because "kids in Africa don't have enough water." We believe that these early experiences have changed his perspective of the world, and we want Jane to have these experiences as well (out of the womb)!

We are really excited about the long-term goals of these projects, and we are committed to building partnerships with Mbingo as a family and as respective institutions (Cincinnati Children's Hospital and UC Family Medicine). However, flying to Cameroon is very expensive, and I am still in my last year of training as a fellow. We are therefore asking for two forms of support:

1. Lots of prayer, as we hope to accomplish a lot at Mbingo in a safe, serving manner
2. Financial support, as plane tickets are over $2000 per person

Making a donation is easy: just click on the "World Medical Mission" link displayed on the right. When you get to the web page, type in "Schlaudecker, Jeffrey" and make a tax-deductible donation for our trip.

We are very thankful for either form of support, and we hope that you will enjoy updates on our blog as the trip approaches.

Thank you for your love, friendship, and prayers...
Liz, Jeff, Noah, and Jane