July 2024

Electricity. You are probably taking it for granted right now. You flip that switch and the light comes on. It’s kind of amazing, but we see it as part of normal life.

At Nyankunde we do not take it for granted. We are totally off-grid, in fact there is no grid. We have to generate our own electricity in some way. We do this through solar power or generators. Solar power is incredible, but it’s a challenge. You have to get the system working just right. If you happen to be in the rainy season, as we are now, it’s difficult. No photons, no electrons. That’s the simple math that we’re up against. Generators are also a pain. They are expensive to run, fuel is hard to get, they require maintenance, they wear out. Plus they’re noisy. Also you don’t feel great about the whole carbon footprint thing.

The challenge of electricity is difficult at home. At the hospital, it is devastating. Sterilizing instruments, performing surgery and giving oxygen are all things that require electricity. The most important thing is simply light. Ever tried examining a patient, putting in an IV or sewing up an episiotomy by candle light, or the light of a cell phone? I have, and it’s not fun. So this is where we’ve been at the hospital for several years. We would occasionally buy lead-acid batteries, but they get tired after a few years. We found ourselves running the generator more frequently, but this was a huge expense for the hospital. Diesel fuel is around 6$ a gallon.

The difficult part of the equation was that Samaritans Purse had purchased for us a solar power system with 60 panels and Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries. Unfortunately the wrong inverters had been sent and the system lay dormant for around 5 years. I had despaired that the system would ever be up at running. For several years I looked at 60 solar panels on the roof and felt sad that they had not produced one bit of useable electrical power.

God has his own time and his own way. He knew that in July 2024, the pieces would fall into place. Our long-awaited container arrived with the new inverters. A visit from our friend Dr. Bob Spencer (Cardiologist and all-round fixit man) would lay the groundwork for our team of electricians to come. Bob and I spent several weeks pulling wire, changing wiring, installing inverters, charging batteries, refurbishing the oxygen system, fixing autoclaves, installing equipment, moving generators and so many other things I can’t remember. I am handy in my own amateurish way, but I quickly reach the limits of what I can do. Bob brings a level of expertise and experience which brought us to the next level. Without his help we would not have been able to finish.

Dave Bucklin and Peter Schmitz were on site for about a week. They completed the final stages of wiring, installed the oxygen system in the ICU and sorted through the complicated settings necessary to throw the final switch and make the transition to the new system. In all it was a long, hard month. I did very little patient care, thanks to the presence of Dr. Peter Stafford running the surgical department. Most nights I came home exhausted, after too much sun, too much heavy lifting and too much time in precarious places. Dave was down for the count for a couple days with a stomach bug, but he kept on going.

The result of all the effort was that we have switched over to a solar power system with a huge capacity. We have a newish generator that is more suited to our needs. We have a new oxygen system in the OR and a refurbished oxygen system in the ICU. We have working autoclaves. With the new system we have not lost power one time. It has been an amazing, incredible blessing. There are already patients who would have died for lack of oxygen in the ICU, who have survived. According to Lindsey there are 3-4 babies who have survived because of this system.

This project has been a shot in the arm for the hospital. I believe that it is improving our standard of care. It will represent a huge saving in diesel fuel alone. There is also a tremendous level of satisfaction knowing that we are using the energy of the sun to run the hospital. The system is also connected to the internet and there is an app on my phone which tells me how much energy we are using, what state the batteries are in and many other details that most people wouldn’t be interested in. I’ve been glued to this app and I just can’t get over it.

God’s timing works better than mine. I’m learning a bit of patience. Congo is a good place to learn that you can’t just make things happen by sheer will and frantic effort. At this time we have the incredible joy of electrical power. The hospital has many a flaw and many a need, but for the past two weeks, when I’ve flipped the switch, the lights have turned on and that is a good reason to thank God. We also thank the many faithful servants at Samaritan’s Purse, who had gave generously of time and resources to make this happen.

Warren