Video slideshow with authentic Sri Lankan music. (runs < 5 minutes)
Mission Plans
January 16-31,2015 - A mission team of four people from Mountain View Community Church (MVCC) went to Sri Lanka in support of the Ampara YMCA to teach First Aid/CPR, Snake Bite First Aid, and Bloodborne Pathogens Prevention (HIV, Hepatitis, Ebola, etc). Each of the 72 students taught received a First Aid kit upon completion of the training. A number of Snake Bite First Aid kits were also distributed to students who are most vulnerable to poisonous snake bites and live in remote areas where proper medical help can be several hours away. Our team also provided computer training to the local YMCA office staff , set up a wireless (WIFI) network to improve office productivity, and provided a video projector and laptop computer. All of this was done thanks to donations from individuals and churches in the Seattle area.
Mission Team: Fred & Debby Breedlove and Nick & Louise Calderone
Minimum First Aid supplies for each First Aid Kit: 1 - zip lock plastic bag (one-gallon size) to hold contents of one kit plus First Aid instruction manual. 15 - adhesive bandages (band aids, etc) 1 - tube of triple antibiotic ointment/cream (.5 oz generic equivalent of Neosporin) 4+ - square gauze bandages (2" or 3" individually wrapped) 2 - rolled gauze bandage (2" or 3") 1 - compression bandage ("Ace" type) 2- Wet-Ones anti-bacterial wipes (individually wrapped)
Additional/Excell First Aid supplies will be used to build larger, more complete First Aid kits for the YMCAs, churches, schools, etc where we teach First Aid/CPR & Bloodborne Pathogens Prevention.
Sawyer's Snake Bite First Aid Kits - these kits are being provided to people who live in remote areas where poisonous snake bites are a daily danger and proper medical care is often 2+ hours away. The people receiving the kits will be given First Aid training (including Snake Bite First Aid) and a basic First Aid Kit (see above) in addition to the Sawyer's Snake Bite First Aid Kit. The First Aid training is most important, but the snake bite first aid kit can be used to buy precious time which can help save lives when proper medical care is not available for 2+ hours. The "Sawyer's Bite and Sting Kit" (The Extractor) needs to be used within the first 5-minutes after a poisonous snake bite in order to be most effective, so the number of kits needed is huge. The kit can be used for snake bites, mosquito bites, bee & wasp stings, scorpions, and other bites/stings to remove venom/poison without adding further injury to the victim.
We are blessed to be able to bring 68 snake bite first aid kits thanks to several donations!
Note - it was learned recently that one of these Snake Bite First Aid Kits which Fred sent to the Ampara YMCA in Sri Lanka was actually used to successfully treat a young girl who was bitten by a poisonous viper. Sri Lanka, Kenya, and many other countries in Africa and SE Asia have many poisonous snakes and very limited healthcare resources to treat snake bite victims. Each of these kits (costing about $17) has the potential to save a life or limb, so every kit that is donated to this ministry is extremely important. We can never have too many kits to distribute during our trips.