Dr. William O. Kirker rebuilds hospital in Niger

Dr. Bill Kirker (l) of Columbia with Mamadou Tandja, president of Niger. The facts are clear. The story behind the facts tells of a Columbia doctor with burning passion for a hospital in tThhee d feascetrst of Niger.

• 1966: William O. Kirker, M.D., and his wife, Barbara, begin healthcare work at the Maina- Soroa Hospital in the city of Diffain, Niger, as a Peace Corps volunteers.

• 1970: Kirker founds Africare and incorporates the nonprofit organization in Hawaii.

• 1971: Africare is reincorporated in Washington, D.C., with Payne Lucas, a former Peace Corps volunteer, as president and Kirker on the board.

• 1990: The Bishop John T. Walker Humanitarian Award program is established by Africare.

• 1992: Archbishop Desmond Tutu is awarded the Bishop John T. Walker Humanitarian Award.

• 1993: Apartheid ends in South Africa; Sargent Shriver, first director of the Peace Corps, is named the recipient of the Bishop Walker Humanitarian Award.

• 1994: Nelson Mandela, the newly elected president of South Africa, is awarded the Bishop John T. Walker Humanitarian Award.

A MedShare container of medical supplies is unloaded at Dr. Kirker's hospital in Diffain, Niger. • 1999: Niger President Ibrahim Baré Mainassara is assassinated. He is succeeded by Mamadou Tandja, a friend of Dr. Kirker.

• 2001: Africare joins the Magic Johnson Foundation and others to combat HIV and AIDS in Africa.

• 2003: Bill and Melinda Gates are awarded the Bishop John T. Walker Humanitarian Award.

• 2007: Bill and Barbara Kirker return to Niger. The story

Since 1966, Bill and Barbara Kirker, residents of Columbia, have dedicated themselves to maintaining the hospital they worked to establish during their Peace Corps service in the 1960s. When they were forced to return to Columbia due to civil unrest, the hospital slowly deteriorated.

In May 2007, the Kirkers were invited by Mamadou Tandja, president of Niger, to revitalize the Maina- Soroa District Hospital. Dr. Kirker eagerly accepted the challenge from his longtime friend.

In June 2007, a 40- foot MedShare container made its way down unpaved roads from the capital of Niamey to the remote village of Maina- Soroa, Niger. The Kirkers and the village's inhabitants were happy to receive it.

The product from MedShare, which includes both vital disposable items as well as equipment, has allowed the hospital staff to increase the number of consultations and surgeries. In a hospital that lacks linens, gowns, sheets, and bed coverings, even the simplest tools can enable the doctors and nurses to make an immeasurable difference. "The surgical gloves that we received are in daily use and I guard their distribution. We had no medical gloves until your supplies came," said Dr. Kirker.

The hospital lacks air conditioning and adequate lighting, and record- keeping is done by hand. However, the government of Niger is doubling the physical size of the hospital, upgrading its infrastructure and increasing the number of Nigerien personnel assigned to the hospital.

The Kirkers have established KAMRA (Kirker African Medical Relief Association) to fulfill their mission. KAMRA's immediate goals are to assure a regular supply of expendable supplies from MedShare as well as equipment as the hospital expands; to assure a regular supply of critically needed medicines from Medical Assistance Programs International (www.map.org); to obtain additional equipment to support the work of U.S. doctors providing short- term specialist services; to and obtain funding for a new nutritional program for patients.

To donate to KAMRA, send a check made out to National Christian Foundation to: KAMRA, 4840 Forest Drive PMB 156, Columbia, SC 29206 and note KAMRA Fund on the memo line. Your donation will be earmarked and directed in full to KAMRA.