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WELCOME TO THE SODDO PROJECT WEBPAGE FOR KARI & ASLE AARSLAND

At the Soddo Christian Hospital in southern Ethiopia there is a great need for an anesthesiologist, and Kari and Asle have been asked to give a helping hand. This web site will provide news and updates during their stay.



For more information about the Soddo Christian Hospital in southern Ethiopia, please visit www.soddo.org

If you are interested in making a donation or pledging a monthly amount, please follow the link: Donate/Getting Involved.

Below you will find the latest update from Asle and Kari.

Sara Janne Southern Ethiopia January 2010

Sara Janne is Kari and Asle's oldest daughter, and she is following in her father's and grandfather's footsteps in becoming a doctor. She spent the Christmas holiday with her parents, and also used the time to work on a research project while she was there. We will undoubtedly hear more about this project later, but for now she has sent us a 'trip report' from a trip she took with her father and Dr. Lindtjørn. Read her story and see pictures from this trip below!

This is my last week here in Ethiopia. I have now completed my research project at the hospital, which I will come back to at a later time. Right now I want to tell you about the trip I recently took with my dad, Dr. Bernt Lindtjørn and his wife Magnhild to Sawla and beyond.

As you probably may already know, here in Ethiopia there is a major shortage of doctors. Transportation and health care facilities are also lacking. As a result, women who live out in the countryside and experience complications during labor often do not have adequate help close by. Many labor unsuccessfully for many days, finally succumbing to bleeding and exhaustion. You may think all hope is gone, but here comes Dr. Bernt and his brilliant plan: to teach health officers (the Ethiopian equivalent of a Physician's Assistant) to perform emergency cesarean sections. But c-section cannot be done without anesthesia, and who better to help with that than my very own dad?

The first stop on our trip was Sawla, a town 2.5 hours west of Soddo. There is a small government-run hospital there with a single health officer and a couple of nurses (no physician). Upon arrival we were introduced to the most recent success story:

A woman pregnant with twins had arrived earlier that day. She had successfully delivered the first baby at home (see picture of typical hut) but afterwards had difficulties delivering the second one. In order to get to the hospital, she had first been carried on a home-made stretcher for 4 hours, then had caught a ride on the back of a big Isuzu (see picture) for 3 hours. Along the way she was accompanied by her husband and newborn child.

Against all odds, she was still alive upon arrival to the hospital, and a successful delivery was performed by the health officer (see picture of mother and her 2 newborn children).

Unfortunately, this lady was one of the few lucky ones. She had the family support, money, and surprisingly the time to make it to Sawla where there was a hospital. Most women do not. Therefore, the second half of our trip was dedicated to traveling even further into the countryside where we would evaluate new locations to teach emergency c-sections. We drove through mountainous territory, (the very same mountainous territory that my dad grew up in) climbing thousands of feet only to descend on the other side.

It was beautiful. We visited the local health clinics, encountered one of the world's largest goiters (see picture),

met with government officials (see pictures of administration buildings), provided the town with enough entertainment to last them a while, and finally wound down with a cup of coffee at the local café. I could sense the satisfaction my dad felt by following the Lord's example and sharing His grace through medical missions in southern Ethiopia. (His work is a continuation of a family tradition. My grandparents spent most of their adult lives in this art of Ethiopia as missionary-doctors.)