Who We Are and What We Do
ELWAchildren, a part of ELWA hospital owned and operated by Serving In Mission (SIM) Liberia, cares for sick and malnourished children in Liberia. Our priority is to treat those from the poorest areas and the most vulnerable children, with a special focus on malnutrition, unwell newborns, children aged under five and staff development through the Emergency Triage, Assessment and Treatment (ETAT) plus training Liberia's paediatric healthcare providers.
Our Story
Since April 2019, ELWA hospital has operated a service providing affordable care to the most vulnerable children in Liberia. A malnutrition program was added in July 2019, and further expanded in 2020 by Samaritan's Purse.
Thousands of children's lives have been saved by this program, which now admits over 120 children to inpatient care monthly, in addition to treating over 1000 in the outpatient under 5 clinic.
We operate as a close partnership of highly trained Liberian staff and International medical volunteers.
Caring for malnourished children
Inpatient and Outpatient Feeding
In collaboration with the ministry of Health of Liberia, and with support from our partners, we operate a 15 bed inpatient feeding program for the most malnourished children. The ward has all the medication and supplies needed, with a full oxygen system and most importantly dedicated, highly trained and compassionate staff.
Some children who are more stable can be treated in the outpatient feeding children. These children come every week for regular weighing and medical treatments.
All care is given to these children for free.
Under 5 Clinic
Accessible care for Liberia's most vulnerable little ones
Under 5 clinic provides a way for unwell children to be seen quickly and by highly trained staff members, and if necessary admitted to the ward. The clinic treats a variety of conditions including malaria, respiratory conditions, diarrhoeal illnesses and conditions affecting newborns. The outpatient feeding program is hosted here.
Inpatient Paediatric Ward
For children who are too unwell to go home, we operate 32 beds with an overspill of 5 beds into the paediatric emergency room. In addition to the 15 nutrition beds, there are 5 beds and an incubator for newborns, and 12 beds for unwell children with serious conditions such as malaria, pneumonia, diarrhoeal illnesses, surgical problems and neonatal sepsis.
Emergency Triage Assessment and Treatment (ETAT) plus
Paediatric healthcare workers for Liberia's children
In partnership with Swansea Bay Health Charity and Samaritan's Purse, the ELWA hospital hosts and facilitates this WHO-recommended training programme quarterly. Participants visit from many facilities in Liberia, and the training is led by highly skilled and experienced Liberian facilitators. This training informs our clinical practice, and ensures that we are giving the best care possible to the children who come to ELWA, as well as resourcing other facilities. To date, over 200 healthcare workers have been trained, and over a dozen trainers and mentors serve and mentor other staff throughout the hospital.
