A farewell to Chad

A farewell to Chad

Celebrating a season of mission

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This summer we’re waving goodbye to three of our mission couples serving at Guinebor II Hospital (G2). Hear from the Shrubsole, Spears and Chilvers families about God’s work in their lives and ministries, and why the next chapter is only just beginning for BMS World Mission healthcare work in Chad.

Hi Bethan and Gareth, Mel and Tom and Brian and Jackie! As you come to the end of this season serving at G2, we’d love to take you back to where it all began. What were your first impressions of serving in a Chadian desert hospital?

Gareth Shrubsole: The challenges of Chad are known to anyone who’s done any research on the country. I think what surprised us more was some of the blessings of Chad, like the fact that our children have absolutely thrived. It’s not to say that it was always easy for them, but they have really thrived and they’ve really been blessed through it, and I believe they’ll become a blessing to others, either immediately or in due course, as a result of their experiences in Chad.

Bethan Shrubsole: I think because it’s such a challenging place, the people who go there are 100 per cent invested. So you don’t find people who are just there because they like Africa. You find people who are there because they’re passionate about Africa, and about Chad particularly.

A Chadian lady has her arm around a male relative as she helps him along a hospital walkway in Chad.
As a country, Chad is ranked second lowest on the Human Development Index globally, with an average life expectancy of 52.5 years.

And how did you see those challenges of life in Chad play out amongst your patients?

Jackie Chilvers: Traditionally, our idea of poverty in the UK is when you don’t have enough of something. But in Chad, poverty exists where people only have enough for “today”. And when people don’t have stability politically, financially… when even the climate is changing, that ability to pay for what’s needed “today” can change very quickly. Sometimes it’s more subtle than what we typically think of as poverty. You might be able to get water from a well, but that water isn’t treated. You might have the smartest clothing or the most raggedy clothing, but if you get cancer, there’s precious little we can do except cut out the tumour as there’s no chemotherapy or radiotherapy available in Chad.

Were you surprised by how God ended up using you in such a fragile context?

Mel Spears: When I went out, I didn’t really know what my role [as a Public Health Practitioner] would look like, and I ended up spending a lot more time with patients in the hospital than perhaps I would’ve imagined. That was definitely very rewarding, but also very heartbreaking. [Working alongside Chadian colleague] Achta was amazing. She really cares about the patients and I learned a lot from her. It was never one-sided. Jackie or I might’ve read more about what perhaps certain standards should be, but she really had the practical experience of what actually works and what had been done in other places.

A Chadian healthcare worker dressed in maroon scrubs chats to a local woman in a headscarf with a young baby on her lap, in a mint green clinic room.
Mel, Jackie and a Chadian team of colleagues Juliet, Salima and Achta [pictured], were able to establish an on-site clinic to treat life-threatening malnutrition, as well as equipping colleagues to diagnose it and raise awareness in the community.

And what were some of the biggest encouragements?

Tom Spears: It was encouraging to see some of the nursing staff who do outpatient consulting really take on board some of the advice that others gave them and improve their way of doing things because of that.
I was encouraged by our colleague Moussa [who featured in BMS’ 2020 Harvest appeal, Operation: Chad]. He’s been there since the hospital opened and he’s a really good guy. He cares about his patients. It was interesting to get a bit more of perspective from him about larger scale issues in Chad and where some of the sticking points are. I look forward to hopefully working with him again in the future.

A British family gather for a photo with two parents and two children in front of a leafy green background.
Mel and Tom are returning to the UK to invest in further medical training, with a view to potentially returning to serve in Chad in coming years.
A Chadian practitioner sits at a desk in his clinic wearing blue scrubs and a stethoscope.
“Moussa is someone that I would really like to be involved more in the strategy of the hospital. He's someone who’s got a good head on their shoulders, and a good heart,” says Tom.

Brian Chilvers: The support from the UK was so encouraging too. When you’ve had a bad day or a difficult day – perhaps a patient is very sick or a child has sadly died – to know there are other people who are still behind you, supporting you and wanting you to go out and do the work makes such a difference. We couldn’t have been in Chad without the financial and prayer support. It reinforced the idea that I’m doing what God wants me to do.

It's clear that you’re leaving the work in Chad in some really capable hands – both those of Chadian staff and also BMS mission workers Claire Bedford and Kalbassou Doubassou. But we know the financial and prayer support of UK Christians is still absolutely critical in keeping G2 running and able to save lives.

Gareth: Please keep praying. G2 is a young hospital, it’s only 12 years old, but I can foresee its need lasting for decades. Whichever generations of mission workers and even Chadian workers pass through, it will still be God’s hospital doing God’s work. It needs to be held in prayer. It’s in a difficult, tough, place. [Head of G2 and nurse-surgeon] Kalbassou is the heart and soul of the hospital, and without Kalbassou, it wouldn’t function. So people need to continue to support BMS to support what he does, and to support what Claire does.

Tom: In the UK, the focus is often about ‘how can we improve the quality of life?’ But for most people in Chad, the focus is on survival. Actually, the cost of living has increased proportionately more in Chad than it has in the UK. Last year the cost of bread rose by 25 per cent overnight, as an example. Even in times where people are seeing their budgets squeezed, there are places like Chad where the amounts of money that affect our quality of life here affect people’s survival elsewhere.

Two Chadian healthcare professionals wearing scrubs smile as they examine a patient.
The incredible team at G2, led by Kalbassou Doubassou, still needs your vital support.

Thank you all for the incredible investment of your time, skills and lives during your time at G2, made possible by UK supporters. We’ve loved welcoming Jackie onto the BMS staff team in the UK as our new Safeguarding Lead, and we look forward to staying in touch.

Three critical ways you can continue to support the work of G2
  1. Pray

    Prayer is critical to the running of G2 Hospital. Why not sign up to Kalbassou and Claire’s prayer letters, and pray for the critical surgical and pharmacy provision you’re making possible at G2?

  2. Give

    None of the work at G2 would be possible without your generosity. Find out more about becoming a 24:7 Partner for Kalbassou or Claire.

  3. Serve

    G2 is particularly in need of qualified surgeons, paediatricians and GPs to serve alongside Kalbassou and Claire. If that’s you or someone you know, do check out the vacancies listed here.

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Interview by Hannah Watson, BMS World Mission

Diary of a BMS Surgeon

The diary of a BMS surgeon

The incredible work you support in Chad

Praying for this

Being a surgeon has never been your standard 9 to 5 job. But when your responsibilities also include heading up a hospital’s management team and bearing witness to Christ in a Muslim-majority country, things get particularly busy! Welcome to the diary of a BMS World Mission surgeon.

Kalbassou Doubassou, BMS worker, advanced nurse-surgeon and Director of Guinebor II Hospital (G2) opens his May prayer letter with the word: “Thankful”. “Isaiah says that those who trust in God renew their strength,” Kalbassou adds. “The eagle, the lion and the cubs tire, but those who trust in him do not tire.” When you’ve had a month as busy as the one Kalbassou has just had, it’s clearer than ever whose strength you need to rely on to get by.

A Cameroonian man dressed in scrubs stands in front of some hospital buildings in Chad,
Kalbassou juggles his responsibilities as lead surgeon and Head of Guinebor II Hospital in Chad.

Kalbassou often starts his days by performing surgery – whether it’s an operation that he’s got planned in, or the emergency surgeries that he’s woken up to perform at all hours of the night. In one month alone, G2 can receive over 570 patients in its emergency department. Every mother who has a safe delivery via C-section, or patient who has surgery to fix a broken limb experiences nothing short of a miracle considering the tough circumstances that so many live in in Chad. Without the hospital, they might turn to traditional healers or risk buying medicines from unregulated street vendors, many of whom can unintentionally make their patients catastrophically ill.

Two members of medical staff in Chad chat and smile as they examine a patient.

Kalbassou’s work is carried out against a tide of challenges that come from working in Chad. May is a notoriously hot month, the peak of Chad’s scorching dry season. Temperatures inside buildings can reach up to 40 degrees, a difficult climate for anyone to work in, let alone perform life-saving surgery. Then, there’s the political instability the country has experienced in recent months. A recent newsletter from G2 Hospital shared that the country has fallen even further down the UN’s Human Development Index (a global measure of average national health, wealth and education), now ranking at 190 out of 191 countries, trailed only by war-torn South Sudan. And along with all of this, there are basic problems of accessing enough hardware and medicine for the hospital, such as getting hold of screws to fix fractured limbs.

In the midst of all this, how does Kalbassou get the strength to keep going, and to keep bringing hope? Well, even after suffering from the flu and experiencing a period of personal struggle, Kalbassou rejoices in the fact that “the Good Shepherd is always in control”. There are huge encouragements even in hardship. Two little girls, Halimé and Khadija, suffered a terrible accident when a wall fell on them as they were playing, but fortunately Kalbassou was there to help. “They received treatment and today a relationship has been created between the two families and me because of the good results,” Kalbassou writes. A situation that could have driven two families apart through despair and blame has instead united a community. And Kalbassou is determined to do more.

Recently, he treated a man who had been suffering persecution from his family owing to his decision to become a Christian. “Even those who were not happy with the salvation of their family members give good testimony about the hospital,” Kalbassou explains. “The older brother of our brother in Christ, who had persecuted him so much, thanked me for taking care of his brother and his cousin’s wife.”

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Kalbassou and a Chadian team carry out surgery at Guinebor II Hospital in Chad.
Thank you for supporting Kalbassou to carry out life-saving surgery in Chad.

It’s clear that Kalbassou sees his role as being about much more than fixing broken bones, administering anaesthetic and completing paperwork. It’s about equipping G2 Hospital to bring hope in every shape and form to those suffering. To round off Kalbassou’s busy month, he shares a story about those he and his wife support when the ward lights go off and the staff go home. “My wife and I went to a church 45 kilometres from N’Djamena where we visited a blind brother in Christ who needs a home and we committed ourselves to helping him and his elderly mother,” Kalbassou shares.

A group of staff members gather outside the gates of Guinebor II Hospital in Chad.
G2 Hospital is known as being a Christian hospital. Thank you for enabling it to be a shining light.

It’s been a busy May, but Kalbassou is praising God for everything he’s doing and teaching him. The Chadian Minister of Health has granted more land to be given to the hospital for its use. Kalbassou has passed an online orthopaedic training course. And, as a Cameroonian living in Chad, he’s learning new ways of working interculturally, too.

“In the professional context it is good to listen,” Kalbassou explains, “even if you think that the reasoning is not correct, in order to better know how to deal with the problems of your patient population.” Since taking a listening, conciliatory approach, Kalbassou has noticed there’s been less violence and anger in the way some patients respond to bad news. “Even when someone is angry about a situation,” he explains, “my intervention in a spirit of conciliation puts the person concerned in a good mood.”

Could you support healthcare in Chad?

BMS’ workers in Chad urgently need your support to continue this vital work. Could you help? G2 is looking for a number of medical professionals, including a surgeon, to join its busy team. Find out more about serving in Chad here. Or if you could give financially and pray, stay tuned for an opportunity to bring life-saving healthcare to northern Chad, coming very soon. Sign up for our weekly email update to be the first to hear how you can make a difference.

Kalbassou’s work doesn’t end as this month comes to a close – he’ll need to find new reserves of energy to do it all again in June! Fortunately, Kalbassou knows exactly where his strength comes from: “The Lord is gracious,” he says, “to those who hope in him.”

Words by Hannah Watson.

Operation: Chad – one year on

Operation: Chad – one year on

What’s been happening at G2?

This is Operation: Chad, one year on. We’re taking you on a tour of some of the exciting new projects you’ve made possible at Guinebor II hospital

You wouldn’t have realised it from watching the Operation: Chad feature film, but BMS World Mission workers Mel and Tom Spears had really only just set foot on Chadian soil when we visited them in February 2020 with film cameras in tow! We were there to shoot our Harvest appeal, excited to tell their stories, and to see how their skills and experience would contribute to the vibrant life of Guinebor II (G2) hospital. And it wasn’t hard to do – it seemed to us as though Mel and Tom, along with their colleagues Bethan and Gareth Shrubsole, had all been there much longer, despite having only arrived in January 2020. Tom, who had worked as a General Practitioner in the UK, was already being called from patient to patient and treating people with conditions ranging from diabetes to cerebral malaria. And Mel was already imagining the shape her important work in public health might take, beginning with the community health of the villages that had grown up on the doorstep of G2.

The Spears family, pictured in Chad against a leafy backdrop.
Mel and Tom Spears moved to Chad in January 2020.

Knowing how much they had been able to do in the space of a few short weeks back then made us even more excited to check in with them. From new training sessions to a successful malnutrition treatment programme, we heard from Mel and Tom how the hopes and plans they shared with us have become a reality, one year on.

Cultural shifts

Mel’s plans for her work at G2 began by speaking to Achta. You may well recognise Achta from the Operation: Chad film – she’s the practitioner in charge of early years vaccinations. Achta’s experience of Chadian culture and the hospital’s current practices, coupled with Mel’s background in public health nutrition, proved the perfect breeding ground for new ideas. “I started seeing how malnutrition was being managed and finding out from Achta what she’d like to see change,” explains Mel. Together, they carried out a survey exploring infant feeding practices. It confirmed that many new mothers were being handed down a potentially dangerous practice of giving their babies too much water along with formula and breast milk. Sadly, the practice often stems from the fact that formula milk is expensive for so many Chadian families, and so parents add more water than is safe to make it go further.

Achta, a practitioner at Guinebor II hospital in Chad
Achta is part of the wonderful hospital team featured in Operation: Chad.

If babies continue to be given water, they lose the ability to regulate the amount of water in their cells, becoming almost comatose, Tom explains. They’ll soon recover if the practice is stopped – but if not, it will sadly prove fatal. “There’s a massive need for real investment in kind of a cultural shift, and how to change behaviour around that,” adds Mel. Extra training for the hospital’s midwives has already been proposed, so they can send mothers off with good advice from day one. And if children do start to grow up malnourished, with a lack of proper nutrients in their diet, Mel and Achta have been tackling that too.

Tackling malnutrition

Tom tells me that almost 30 per cent of children under the age of five in Chad are underweight, the seventh highest score in the world. So little Moussa’s case sadly wasn’t unusual. He arrived at the hospital clearly malnourished. His swollen limbs and diarrhoea displayed all the signs of the vicious cycle that is created by malnutrition: a nutrient-poor diet which leaves a child susceptible to infections that could become life-threatening. Luckily, after training put in place by Mel, medical staff can use a test to diagnose malnutrition that is as simple as measuring the circumference of the child’s upper arm.

Achta's clinic at Guinebor II hospital in Chad.
Peanut paste created as part of a public health programme at Guinebor II hospital, Chad.
A newborn baby at Guinebor II hospital in Chad.

Moussa improved slowly as he received a nutrient-rich peanut supplement for malnutrition, and treatment for his infections. His swelling reduced and Mel and Achta were delighted when his weight began to increase again. Moussa’s family befriended others, sharing meals together on the hospital grounds. And they also became part of the community programme, with its weekly check-ups. “Achta recently sent me a photo of Moussa and his rounded face was unrecognisable,” says Mel.

Achta laughing with a mother at the clinic, Guinebor II.
Children showing signs of malnutrition are now referred to Achta.

The difference the team are already making means you can’t help but feel excited for the future at G2. The team are looking forward to welcoming BMS nurse Jackie Chilvers, who will be giving additional support on the maternity wards. And having a team come alongside her has encouraged Achta too. She’s felt happier, more valued and more motivated, no longer tackling such massive needs alone. And with plans to take good public health practices into the community in 2022, we can’t wait to see what Mel and Achta do next.

You raised an amazing £301,823 for Operation: Chad, whether that was as church families coming together in wonderful harvest services, or as generous individuals, inspired by the healthcare you had received and wanting to give back. We’re so thankful for you all. If you missed the appeal, it’s not too late to give. Learn more about Operation: Chad right here.

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Words by Hannah Watson
Editor of Engage, the BMS World Mission magazine

You saved their lives

Operation: Chad

You saved their lives

The rattle of metal wheels as a patient is gently pushed into the operating theatre. The moment of silent anticipation before a newborn baby cries out for the first time. The earnest words of prayer said before a difficult surgery. These are the sounds of Guinebor II (G2) hospital. These are the stories you helped to tell.

This isn’t the end of the story for G2 hospital.

Our amazing BMS World Mission supporters have raised an incredible £283,000 by featuring our Operation: Chad appeal in church services across the UK. And there’s still time to raise even more! You can hold an Operation: Chad service all year round, and if you want some accessible and copyright-free resources for your online service, then look no further. From video sermons to a quiz to our stunning feature video, we’ve got everything you’ll need for your service.

Mohammed Ibrahim Hassaballah

It’s been five years since Mohammed’s son began to show the symptoms of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Five years of going to hospital after hospital to try and get the help he so desperately needed. Every time they thought he’d been given some transformative treatment or lifechanging intervention, it was only a matter of time before he deteriorated again – before Mohammed was back desperately trying to find the best way to help his son.

Then the unimaginable happened one morning in 2019. “My son fell ill. It was as if his body was dead,” said Mohammed. “His throat was blocked, and he couldn’t move, eat, drink, breathe, nothing.” That was when Mohammed made the decision that saved his son’s life: he brought him to Guinebor II.

Mohammed’s son was able to get the treatment that would save his life… but it didn’t stop there. He’s had regular physiotherapy and music therapy sessions since he first came to Guinebor II. He smiles as he strums the guitar in his music therapy session, a far cry from the lifeless boy who first arrived in his father’s arms.

“It’s thanks to this hospital my boy is still alive,” says Mohammed. “I give thanks to God and the doctors here.”

Mohammed helps his son with muscle-building physiotherapy.
Mohammed helps his son with muscle-building physiotherapy.

Rakié Akaye

Rakié recently gave birth to a healthy baby boy.

“I came to the hospital on the back of a motorbike. We arrived here at 6 am… my labour lasted 16 hours. It was really painful, and I was scared because it’s the first time I’ve given birth. But I trusted the midwives.

“I’m so happy, and I’m just asking God to keep my baby safe. Guinebor II hospital is just really good. I had a really good welcome and I was well looked after.

“My hopes are that God will look after my son. I really hope that when he’s old enough he’ll be able to go to school.”

Operation: Chad, Rakié Akaye
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How you helped Rakié

Chad has the fifth highest infant mortality rate in the world. But your generous gifts to Operation: Chad have been used to support the amazing team of midwives at G2, meaning they can bring even more healthy babies into the world.

Mahamat Aboss Abdel Karim

Operation: Chad, Mahamat Aboss Abdel Karim
Mahamat travelled for four days to reach Guinebor II hospital.

Age: 30 years old

At Guinebor II for: Hepatitis and a ruptured liver

Journey: Four days

How you helped him: Many people in Chad still turn to traditional medicines when they’re ill which often don’t work and sometimes cause further damage. By coming to G2, Mahamat was able to get the right treatment he needs to help him fully recover.

In his own words: “Thank you – I’m feeling much better now. I’m going to tell other people that G2 is a good hospital.”

Al-Fadil Abalallah

Operation: Chad Al-Fadil Abalallah

It was raining the day Al-Fadil’s life changed forever. His van skidded on the already treacherous roads and flipped over, knocking him unconscious for over an hour. When he woke up, he was severely injured, with a broken arm and leg. But that was just the beginning of the problems he would face.

Al-Fadil travelled thousands of miles from his native Sudan to try and find the right treatment. Nobody could help him, not even during the five months spent with traditional healers who bound his arm and leg tightly. Many doctors told him his leg would have to be amputated. But one day Al-Fadil spoke to his boss who, thankfully, could speak from experience…

“My boss told me he’d had an accident too,” Al-Fadil explains. “When he came to Guinebor II, he recovered really quickly and that’s why he told me to come here.” When Al-Fadil finally came to G2, everything changed. He was able to receive the proper care he needed to heal and to save his leg, without any complications. “The doctors here are really looking after me,” says Al-Fadil. “I think that by the grace of God, everything is going to be ok.”

Words by Laura Durrant.

Top Stories of 2020

You've done amazing things this year:

Top Stories of 2020

Well. It’s been a year. While we’ve all faced serious challenges in 2020, we don’t want to overlook all the incredible work God has done. Check out the top BMS World Mission stories of 2020 to see how God has been at work across the world this year – and how he’s used you to make a difference!

1. Pictures from the frontline: An oasis of healing

God’s light is shining in the Chadian desert thanks to the BMS-supported Guinebor II hospital, and we’ve so loved sharing stories of its staff and patients with you this year. Take a look behind the scenes of our Operation: Chad appeal and meet the people whose lives you’ve transformed.

Take a look behind the scenes

2. Surviving lockdown: tips from Afghanistan

Our workers in Afghanistan are no strangers to lockdowns, which is why we turned to them when the UK went into lockdown earlier this year. It’s humbling to remember that this is the norm for many people in Afghanistan, so as you enjoy checking out their tips, please continue to pray for people living in this fragile nation.

Read the story

3. The accidental pastor

Pastor Humberto holds up the keys he was handed to an empty church. He is wearing a blue t-shirt. Behind him is the green door of the church, and the blue and white painted wall.

Everyone loves a love story! And we loved sharing the story of how Pastor Humberto’s life was transformed through looking after the keys to the church in his village – and how it saved his marriage.

What happens next?

All these stories are just the smallest example of the impact your giving has had around the globe in 2020. Thank you so much for your faithful support of BMS work during this challenging year! If you want to continue to change lives in 2021, and in years to come, why not sign up to give to BMS regularly as a 24:7 Partner? Find out more right here.

Make more stories like these possible Sign up to become a 24:7 Partner!

4. Sahel surgeons: The most dramatic day

A man and a woman outside a hut in the desert.

Have you met Andrea and Mark Hotchkin? Because they are amazing. Seriously. Earlier this year, they were thrown into action when 23 injured fighters arrived at their hospital in northern Chad without warning. Stitching up bullet wounds, mending fractures, and donating units of their own blood – no task is too small for these medical heroes!

Meet the Hotchkins

5. Picking up glass: the human stories behind the Beirut blast

Hot food is handed out to people who have lost their homes due the blast in Beirut

Hearts broke across the world after the tragic explosion that rocked Beirut in August. Thank you to all the amazing BMS supporters who gave to the BMS Beirut appeal to help with the immediate relief effort. Take a look at this story to hear from the resilient people affected by the blast – and how they’re beginning to rebuild.

Read the story
Even more powerful stories from 2020

Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for BMS this year! Share this story with your friends and family, so they can see the amazing things you’ve achieved!

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Words by Laura Durrant.

‘That’s why we’ve come to Chad’

‘That’s why we’ve come to Chad’:

Tom Spears on Chad’s healthcare, the huge need, and how you can help

Supporting this

When Tom Spears imagined working overseas as a doctor, he knew with great certainty he’d be headed to Nepal. It was a country he had served in before, and where he knew there was so much need. But this week’s story is all about how, and why, Tom and his wife Mel changed their minds – and why God needed them in Chad instead. Read on to discover how you can join them in saving lives in the precious, challenging, inspiring country they now call home.

“Chad? That’s in the desert… isn’t it?” exclaims Tom Spears, remembering his reaction when a country in which he and Mel had never considered serving became the number one option on the table. It was a winsome email from BMS World Mission’s central office that eventually changed his and Mel’s minds. It began: “These are all the reasons we think you should go to Chad,” and ended with: “Pray about it!”

When we spoke to Tom about all this – under a rustling tree canopy on a blustery Chadian winter’s day – it was obvious how God answered that prayer. “BMS has a lot to answer for,” Tom jokes. A few weeks into the family’s time in Chad, these were Tom’s reflections on healthcare, the huge need, and how you can help by supporting Operation: Chad.

A young British couple hold their daughters on their hips, against a leafy background in Chad.
"There’s always going to be a need for more people to help here," says Tom on the decision to come to Chad.

Since you arrived in Chad, has anything struck you as being very different to what you expected?

Possibly it’s been slightly easier than I imagined, so far. There’s a good sense of community here… [swats away a fly] Sorry – flies! The flies are more irritating here – there’s not very many of them, but they’re very persistent! Possibly the hospital is slightly different from my experience of working in what I thought was a similar hospital in Nepal before.

There are lots of things that are just much less available or that cost a lot more to obtain here… things like supply of medications, that’s quite a challenge. The cost of being able to give care here is much higher. I’ve grown up with a socialised healthcare system, which is amazing, and which is the kind of paradigm that I feel is right, and that makes sense. And I’m aware that’s just the culture that I’ve come from, and that that just isn’t the reality here in Chad.

Tom Spears on the tragedy of infant mortality in Chad

We heard stories of patients who travel 500 miles to come to Guinebor II hospital because they know they’ll receive good care here. What do you make of that?

I was speaking to one of the nurse-consultants here who was saying that recently, we’ve had more people coming from further away, lots of people from nomadic backgrounds where it’s very important for them to get back to their livestock. They would rather come here where they know they’re going to get reliably seen and treated.

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I know Kalbassou, the Hospital Director – he’s just got such a heart to help people, and he just works such long hours at the moment doing so many operations, and it’s because he wants to keep on helping people… but really, we don’t have the capacity to help the number of people that he or any of us would like to. There’s always going to be a need for more people to help here.

Chadian healthcare, in Tom’s own words

“Chad as a country is fourth from the bottom of the Human Development Index.

It has some of the worst maternal health outcomes in the world, and the second-highest infant mortality rate.

It’s a big country, and there are very few hospitals and medical facilities in general.”

A British doctor and a Chadian doctor chat to each other in a hospital setting.
Tom pictured with Hospital Director, Kalbassou Doubassou, who also performs most of the hospital's surgeries.

It’s so clear there is huge need in Chad – but at the moment there is also undeniably significant need in the UK. What would you say to BMS supporters thinking carefully about where to invest their giving at a time like this?

We’ve reached a point where people’s expectations of healthcare in the UK are high – and I think that’s a good thing. But, equally, there are many, many other places in the world that have low expectations of healthcare… I’ve got a three-month-old on the ward at the moment with meningitis and in reality, they’ve got a significant chance of dying. But that will be accepted, because children die here, that happens. Whereas in the UK, that’s an outrage, and it’s not just an outrage for the family, it’s a public outrage. A child died – and it is, it’s awful, it’s a tragedy. But this is a ‘normal’ tragedy here…

That’s the reality of life here, that most people have lost a child. And that’s just an example among many things.

Dr Tom at work at Guinebor II hospital in Chad
A patient check-up led by Guinebor II nurse, Christophe.

What can we in the UK do to help?

There’s a huge amount of inequality in the world, and whilst investing in the NHS is a great thing, and I’m all for that – equally, relatively small amounts of money go considerably further here in making a difference. There’s lots of basic interventions here in Chad that do save lives, and in my mind, that’s a bit of a no brainer. And that’s probably, really, why we’ve come to Chad.

Could you give to make sure the life-saving treatment at Guinebor II hospital reaches even more people?

– It costs just £13 to ensure each person receives the care they need. For £13 you could help us save a life.

– And if you could give more, £80 can provide a nurse to take care of critically ill patients for a week.

– And could your church fellowship come together to raise £695? That would mean 52 patients being cared for, four life-saving surgeries and five babies making it safely into the world.

Join the medical mission, and give today.

Give now

Interview: Hannah Watson
Editor of Engage, the BMS World Mission magazine

Heroes of Guinebor II

Heroes of Guinebor II

The people you can support through Operation: Chad

Some superheroes wear scrubs.

Supporting this

You can be a hero too! Give to Operation: Chad today, and save lives in the Sahel for years to come.

We have a mission for you and your church. We’re asking you to save lives in Chad this harvest.

Working at Guinebor II hospital in the Chadian desert is not a job for the faint-hearted. In 40-plus degree heat, the medical team, supported by BMS World Mission, operates on tumours, resets broken bones, and stitches up gunshot wounds. They treat malnutrition and malaria, deliver babies and diagnose diabetes – working in a publicly Christian hospital, even while the threat of Boko Haram looms large.

These men and women have an extraordinary mission – to bring hope and healing in the Sahel. When you and your church support Operation: Chad, you can help them.

Meet some of the heroes of Guinebor II hospital

Kalbassou Doubassou

Role: Director of Guinebor II hospital

Kalbassou has the huge task of directing all the work of Guinebor II hospital! In 2019, 14,423 patients benefitted from the care of Kalbassou’s dedicated team. Guinebor II medical workers perform life-saving surgeries, and treat everything from snake bites and malaria, to broken bones and cancer. They do it all in the name of Jesus, and thanks to your support.

Meet Kalbassou by running an Operation: Chad service in your church! Watch the Operation: Chad feature video now.

In his own words: “Being the head of the hospital is [a] miracle, because I didn’t expect it. But by his grace, I am doing the work. I’m proud of the hospital, because the hospital is making a difference. And the nurses are doing their job. And the doctors are taking care of patients… Everybody is welcoming, so all our patients are happy. So it’s exciting to see a place like Guinebor II hospital.

“We have Jesus to give to people, but we also have skills to give good quality care to people. So that’s the most exciting part.”

Kalbassou is director of Guinebor II hospital. He is a hero.
Agnes is Head Nurse at Guinebor II hospital. She is a hero.

Agnès Netadé

Role: Head nurse at Guinebor II hospital

Agnes has been working at Guinebor II since 2011, and has been overseeing all the nursing staff at the hospital for the last year. She is committed to ensuring that all the patients coming to Guinebor II receive excellent care and experience the love of God through the work of her team.

In her own words: “We’re so, so happy to work here because everything we do here is in God’s will, it’s him who sustains us, and who helps us to do it well. We’re grateful because the patients themselves smile at us and tell us that they have not been disappointed by coming here.

“The nurses working here are often on the wards on their own, or just with one other nurse. So to encourage and motivate the nurses, I go round each day to give them advice. I say, ‘Please, be joyful, be welcoming in front of patients, and take care of them like they are one of your own. And you will be blessed.’”

Claire Bedford

Role: Pharmacist and member of the management team at Guinebor II

The pharmacy is an essential part of Guinebor II hospital, and Claire has been working hard to develop it. She makes sure that the hospital is well-stocked with essential (and affordable) medications, so that once patients receive their diagnoses, they can access the treatment they need to get better.

In her own words: “The reason I get up in the morning is to be able to provide medications for our patients… That’s why we all get up in the morning and run around a lot at the hospital – just to provide the best that we can for people who otherwise wouldn’t have access to very good healthcare.

“My pharmacy team is amazing, they are like a small family to me. And it’s great to see them every day and work with them. We laugh and joke like any team does – and they work very hard! It makes me happy that we can help the Chadian people and provide this service for them.”

Claire is a pharmacist at Guinebor II hospital. She is a hero.
Moussa is Counsulting Nurse at Guinebor II hospital. He is a hero.

Moussa Idriss Adoum

Role: Consulting nurse at Guinebor II

Moussa diagnoses and treats patients coming to Guinebor II hospital. On the day we met him, he had seen 35 patients. Most of them had malaria, but he also assessed two emergency cases – a child with a bladder stone and a father with a suspected stroke – and made sure they got the urgent care they needed.

In his own words: “When we receive people for treatment, they often don’t even realise the strain they are living with. People die in our village of cardiac arrests, and people think it’s caused by bad omens. So it’s social problems that are causing people to die. The leading cause of death after malaria is accidents. People are living with such tension that they’re not stopping to focus on what they’re doing.

“For the past ten years, the hospital has been growing. Why? Because it has a good reputation. We’re a very experienced team, and we’re motivated by that.”

Patrice Bekoutou

Role: Anaesthetist at Guinebor II

Patrice works in the operating theatre, preparing patients for their procedures, administering the anaesthetic they need, and praying with them before they undergo surgery.

In his own words: “We’ve seen several patients who have accepted Jesus into their lives, because all of the actions we’re doing here are in the name of Jesus, showing the love of Jesus. They’ve testified to the fact that first we shared the gospel with them, and then they accepted Jesus Christ into their lives as their Saviour. So, really, it’s the grace of God in action.

“Sharing the gospel with our neighbours, well, that’s what Jesus Christ commands us to do. We do it in faith. And when we share the gospel with those around us and they accept it, well, it’s a joy.”

Patrice is an anaesthetist at Guinebor II hospital. He is a hero.

Operation: Chad is coming!

Save lives. Support Operation: Chad.

You can support these amazing medical workers on their mission to save lives in Chad! Our brand-new video Operation: Chad is available to watch now! We can’t wait for you to see it. Speak to your minister and ask them to schedule an Operation: Chad service for your church – it’s perfect for harvest, and can also be used anytime!

Stand with these heroes of Guinebor II and save lives in the Sahel. Get Operation: Chad in your church calendar now.