Since 2002, the Chain of Hope Belgium mobilizes to allow each year international medical/surgical missions (cardiac and urological) in Clinique Ngaliema and Hôpital Universitaire UNIKIN of Kinshasa. In addition to the care given to the children living with in-born cardiopathies or certain urological malformations, these missions aim at the training of a multidisciplinary Congolese staff through a North-South technology transfer. They allow to care 126 children.

As of 2005, the opportunity to develop a competence center for paediatric surgery and intensive care in Kinshsa is being subjected to thorough discussion between the NGO and its partners. This would allow to local staffs to again perform certain highly demanding specialized paediatric operations during all stages of the process.

In this context, the partner of the Chain of Hope Belgium, the Chain of Hope DR Congo, applies in September 2006 to Congolese Government for funding to build a new paediatric surgical and intensive care wing on the Clinique Ngaliema site.

In 2010, the Congolese Government provides the funds to build and equip the wing: the First Lady inaugurates the building site on 30^th of September 2011 by putting in place the foundation stone.

In the wake of these events, the Chain of Hope Belgium takes two decisions: 1. it temporarily suspends its surgical missions to the Clinique Ngaliema due to the degradation of the sanitary environment and informs its partners that it should resume them in the new wing; 2. On request of the local partners, It devotes its resources to accompany this realization of the Congolese Government, scheduling side activities.

The objectives and activities of the NGO from 2011 to 2017

In terms of Infrastructures

In addition to the work on the new wing, the Chain of Hope supported the Clinique Ngaliema to obtain funds allowing to globally secure the technical and sanitary environment (water, O2, electricity) and provided a technical engineer to follow up the building site and enhance the technical capacity of the Clinique Ngaliema.

The funds are provided by the “Agence française de Développement” (AFD) and from the “Direction Générale Coopération au développement et Aide humanitaire” (DGD) (for the training of the technical engineer).

In terms of equipment

The Chain of Hope Belgium also provided funds and/or supported the Clinique to obtain funds allowing to strengthen the technical facilities of several ancillary services of the wing. The ancillary services will be used at all stages of the surgical process both in the Clinique Ngaliema as in Sanitary Centers across the country, like the Children Hospital of Kalembelembe, that will refer children to the Clinique Ngaliema.

The funding is provided by the regional Belgian cooperation (WBI – kits enhancing the early diagnosis of cardiopathy provided during several sanitary training Thes), by the AFD (additional equipment for the laundry, the neonatology, an operating room, the reanimation, the blood bank, the laboratory) and by the own funds of the CDEB (ultra-sound machine, beds for paediatric hospitalization, main incinerator of the clinic).

In terms of training

The Chain of Hope Belgium carries out its policy of strengthening of the competences, started in 2007 (support for the bursary of two paediatric cardiologists) , of the technical, medical and paramedical Congolese staff involved in the project of the paediatric surgical and reanimation wing: from the referral stage up to the surgical operation.

The funding is provided by the Belgian federal cooperation (DGC: short and long term training of 12 physicians and nurses in Belgium and South-Africa), by  WBI (training of 8 people in South-Africa), by AFD (training in hygiene at the Clinique’s site), and by the own funds of the CDEB (complements for long-term trainings).

In terms of access to health care

The Chain of Hope put in place a strategy allowing to ease the geographical, medical and financial access to specialized health care for the patients, particularly the neediest ones: mostly via the organization of an effective referral system on the whole territory of DR Congo and the implementation of a solidarity fund (total or partial payment of the bill of the neediest patients).

The funding is provided by the WBI (trainings for infantile cardiopathies of several staffs in DR Congo) and by own funds (mobilization of corporate sponsorship for the solidarity fund, in complement to the existing systems in DR Congo).

In terms of support to the management

The CDEB and its partners share the idea that the sustainability of the care quality requires a professional and rigorous management of the implemented resources. It is thus essential to enhance the competences and practices of the management of the human, administrative and financial resources inside the Clinique. This is done by means of a set of activities aiming at supporting the ad-hoc services, in particular to ensure a fair pricing respecting the financial balance of the Clinique.

The funding is provided by the DGD (support to an hospital management platform in which good practices, tools and experiences are exchanged), by the AFD (external support of a consultant firm specialized in hospital management), and by the own funds of the NGO (practical support of the personnel of the local representation to the Clinique executives).

In terms of missions

The CEDB carries on its “historical” mandate by organizing medical (consultations) and surgical (operations – suspended from 2012) missions at the UNIKIN and Ngaliema in order to care the children and to transfer technologies to the Congolese staff.

The missions are financed by the funds belonging to the NGO.