With the support of the Ka Dounia Dia Foundation (https://kadouniadia.nl/) and Clic Africa (https://www.clicafrica.net/), I had the opportunity to travel to St. Luc Hospital in Kisantu for another medical mission. The team consisted of three orthopedic surgeons (Uncle Jan, Dick Van Der Schaaf, and Stefaan Verfaille), Filip Moens as anesthesiologist, Karolien Dom as surgical assistant, Catherine Meurice as pediatrician, Evelyne van Houtte as midwife, and Jan Leemans, along with Lieve Vanrusselt, as representatives of the Clic Foundation.
The Clic Foundation focuses on education (midwifery, electricity, general education, sports, etc.).
The Ka Dounia Dia Foundation focuses more on the medical aspect.
Both foundations supported me in refurbishing the local orthopedic workshop, so this was my second visit. Last year, we redesigned the workshop with the primary goal of making basic orthoses. This year, we added some technology to the workshop and made our first prosthesis.
It was a happy reunion with local orthopedic instrument maker Gloire Mayemba Buingi. He had completed four months of training in Kinshasa before our previous mission and has now worked alone in the orthopedic workshop for a year.
It was clear that he had been very efficient and economical with all materials. By May 2025, he had already made 54 orthoses! Thanks to Guy Van Loon, I was able to decorate the workshop entrance with a beautiful wooden sign with the letters “L’Atelier Orthopedique” lasered into it.
Otherwise, the mission proceeded just like last year. The orthopedic surgeons/anesthesiologists/surgical assistants were fully engaged in all kinds of highly complex surgeries. Gloire and I went to work in the workshop, where we made, among other things, orthoses to maintain the surgical results. The midwife mainly taught, and the pediatrician collaborated with the local branch and also provided training. The Clic representatives made sure everyone settled in well and provided logistical support where needed, combining this with their own work (setting up a music studio, supporting the local basketball team, instructing teachers on how to work with electrical panels, etc.).
We stayed with the nurses again, about 100 meters from the hospital. Here, we were always well-provided with bed, bath, and bread. We fit in with the nurses’ routines, and they start their day at 6:00 AM with Mass. They sing in harmony and use some percussion, which also sets the tone for our day ;). In the evening, after dinner, we usually have another beer, but by 9:30 PM, everyone is usually in bed. Just like last year, we were invited to dinner by the Bishop of Kisantu, Jean-Crispin Kimbeni Ki Kanda, a young, passionate bishop with the region’s best interests at heart. He’s the head of the region and the hospital. Uncle Jan and Jan Leemans know him well, and we’re always treated very well here.
Last Thursday, Uncle Jan and a friend, orthopedist Yves Fortems, who was also working 80km away at the Compagnie Sucrière hospital in Kwilu-Ngongo, organized a conference. It was a day full of training, which my colleague and I were also able to contribute to. It was a wonderful day!
I hope to be able to contribute for several years to come. The workshop is becoming increasingly integrated into the hospital, and it’s wonderful to be working with such motivated people! If you have any further questions, please let us know!
Kind regards, Koen Van Loon