40 Years of Medical Care
In the centre of Africa sits Nyankunde, a small village near the eastern border of the DRC (formerly Zaire). In 1966, CME was set up in Nyankunde by five local churches. For nearly 40 years, CME served an immediate population of 150,000 and provided medical services (a medical training school, a pharmacy, and specialist hospital treatment) to an area the size of France, with an estimated population of 8 million! In 2002 CME employed 350 staff, had 250 hospital beds, saw 2,000 outpatients a month, performed 250 operations a month, distributed medicines to numerous outlying dispensaries and, further still, ran a nursing school with 120 students and a university with 100 students.
Conflict and Destruction
In 1996, war started in the north east of the country and since that time much fighting and bloodshed has taken place. Over 10 African countries have been involved and old tribal conflicts have been inflamed. Most estimates put the number of deaths resulting directly and indirectly from the war in excess of 6 million with many more displaced. Since 2003, United Nations troops have been deployed in various towns to try to bring peace and stability.
Massacre
On September 5th 2002, CME, which for the most part had been untouched directly by the wars, was attacked. Within half an hour, 1,000 people were murdered including patients, hospital staff and villagers. After days being held hostage at Nyankunde, the remaining patients and staff fled on foot. Most travelled south, walking for two weeks through the rain forest with nothing but the clothes that they were wearing. Mercifully, no more died and 4 babies were born en route! Nyankunde became a ´ghost town´ and the medical centre was looted and largely destroyed.
The photos below, taken during our visit to DRC in 2004 – when Friends of CME Trust was being established as a charity – show Nyankunde in ruin.
Rebuilding CME
Most of the CME staff eventually settled in a town called Beni, situated 150 km south of Nyankunde. Initially, they ran the medical centre in a collection of rented buildings such as a former school, a warehouse, and a family home. After several years like this, land on the outskirts of Beni, in Sose, was acquired by CME and a new hospital began to be built through the financial support of Friends of CME Trust. By 2022, 5 buildings had been completed: maternity, operating theatre and wards for children women and men.
After the massacre at Nyankunde, other CME staff settled in Bunia to the east where another small hospital has been established.
Eventually, people returned to Nyankunde too and CME was able to restart its activities there. The photos below show the re-opened hospital.
At its three sites, CME now provides 403 beds – Bunia 117, Beni/Sose 114 and Nyankunde 172.
