As of 1 November, the little girl weighs 1,320 grams. Still low, but she is finally fit enough to leave the hospital – a big day for everyone in the team.
Michael’s assignment in Chad is now about to end. But before leaving he paid one last visit to the neonatal unit to make sure that the baby is still doing well, and to say goodbye. Unknown to him, a few days before the mother had decided to name the baby after Michael, grateful for what the team did for her daughter.
And so it's Mikaela he is looking at, wrapped in a colourful blanket, surrounded by other mothers with their newborn children in the always busy neonatal unit of Adré hospital.
The spark
Since the beginning of the current crisis, MSF has assisted over a thousand women in the region to deliver their babies.
While most of these births followed a less dramatic path than Mikaela’s, none of these children have been born into an easy life. Essentials like safe drinking water, sufficient food, and malaria nets are scarce.
Every day, dozens of children are treated at the malnutrition ward in the MSF paediatric hospital in Adré. Every week, our teams distribute therapeutic food for hundreds more so that they can be treated in the community.
But this is not enough and there are still more people with more health needs than can be met by one organisation.
However... Little Mikaela is a spark of hope for everyone. For the MSF teams working across eastern Chad. For the refugees who know that their children can receive free, high-quality medical care when needed.