On last Tuesday night we were entertained with an in-depth look at some of the major projects that the Sumba Foundation is involved in. We had Pak Hapu Ammah (Andi), originally from East Sumba speak to us. His CV states that he graduated with a nursing degree in Bali, with support from The Sumba Foundation. Currently, he is in Melbourne, pursuing a master’s degree in public health, with the support of the government, and he expects to graduate in June 2025. He hopes to put his teaching to good use in Sumba upon his return.
 Pak Hapu Ammah (Andi), Past President Thelma Hutchison & President Peter Moore |
Since 2008, he has been seconded by the government to support the malaria control program at The Sumba Foundation. He has worked as a nurse in the malaria clinic and is actively involved in conducting mass blood screenings in the villages of Lamboya and Wanukaka in West Sumba, as well as in Kodi, Southwest Sumba.In addition, he has been a malaria microscopy trainer at the Malaria Training Centre of Sumba Foundation since its inception in June 2010, located in Waikabubak. This is where I met Andi for the first time as the major instructor at the training Centre.
In this role, he helped train government laboratory staff from across Sumba, as well as representatives from Flores, Timor, Alor, Rote, and Sabu districts in East Nusa Tenggara Province.
His talk centred around the great work in controlling malaria, which is endemic in Sumba, teaching the trainees to properly identify the correct type of malaria, since there is a different medication to employ per type. Hence, many a time came in the past, where children have died from cerebral malaria. A new phenomenon is Leprosy which Dr Claus Bogh discovered in 2018 by chance and since then there has been a steady stream of victims presenting for treatment. Since people were ashamed, they would hide but now the word is out that it can be treated. Very similar approach to Tuberculosis, which is endemic in Sumba as well.We had the Directors of the Sumba Eye Program there on the night to support Pak Andi and personally for me it was a great reminder of how much needs to be done on this island that basically time forgot. (BUT not us or Rotary!).