Date of first publication: 16.12.2022
One year ago, at the end of November 2021, Lydia and Bernhard Widmann decided to leave their life in Switzerland behind and move to Malawi. They have now been in Southeastern Africa since April 2022, providing medical care at Nkhoma Hospital and training local professionals.
Slowly, an everyday routine returns to Nkhoma, the Widmann family's new home. After an 8-week complete renovation of their house, they were finally able to move in a few weeks ago.
During the renovation, the family stayed at the home of friends who were in Germany. The three children of the Widmann family have also settled into their new home and made their first friends.
A room with two windows. Renovation work is underway here. After the complete renovation of the residential building, the next building project is already in the pipeline. Thanks to some donors, the renovation of the intensive care unit can begin, with Bernhard assigned to coordinate the renovation.
In addition, the oxygen supply system has been installed and our donated Hamilton Medical ventilators will be in use soon. These materials were already shipped to Malawi by container at the end of November 2021 and arrived unharmed in March 2022.
We knew that Malawi is the third poorest country in the world. But how this looks in reality threw us off track. Slowly, we are learning to deal with this new reality.
It was a privilege to attend the critical care course and we learned a lot. Now we look forward to sharing our knowledge and improving the care of our patients.
ICU nurses, Nkhoma Hospital
Malawi
The two Malawian nurses Chisomo Kamzitu and Ivy Mzembe have completed a one-year training in intensive care nursing in Kenya. In Malawi there is no opportunity to complete such a training.
Now they are back in Nkhoma and preparing for their work in the intensive care unit. Together with Lydia they are training other nurses.
A few weeks ago, things started rolling at Nkhoma Hospital when they prepared for their first surgery.
After various technical preparations and staff training, Bernhard was able to perform the first laparoscopic procedure in the hospital.
If you would like to be a part of this project, there are several ways you can contribute.
Medical teams around the world are accustomed to the toughest working conditions.
We want to honor them by giving them a stage and listening to what they have to say.
Bernhard and Lydia are on the verge of a life‑changing move: In April 2022 they are relocating to Malawi to help provide medical care and train local healthcare staff ‑ together with their three children between the ages of one and three.