Millersville Pediatrician Provides Relief In Mozambique After Disastrous Cyclone Hits

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By Dave Topp

On March 15, the catastrophic Cyclone Idai ravaged southeast Africa. The countries of Malawi and Zimbabwe were hit hard by winds exceeding 100 mph and floods, but the neighboring country of Mozambique saw the greatest devastation.

More than 1.7 million people total were affected by the storm and more than 1,000 people have been confirmed dead.

Hearing this news and wanting to help was Dr. Andre Gvozden, a Millersville-based pediatrician and owner of Gvozden Pediatrics.

“As a physician, you always want to give and it's an opportunity to give a lot in a short period of time,” Gvozden said.

No stranger to disaster relief efforts, having assisted with Hurricane Harvey in Houston and Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, Gvozden jumped at the opportunity to partner with Project HOPE and travel to Mozambique.

“It's a great group,” he said. “They have a very good reputation in the humanitarian field.”

Project HOPE is global health and humanitarian relief organization with more than 60 years of service.

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Upon arriving in Mozambique on March 23, Gvozden joined the Project HOPE team and set up camp in Beira, the country's fourth-largest city. Due to damaged roads or flooding that prevented ground access into several towns, Gvozden and a small team of doctors were flown via helicopter to neighboring towns to provide medical relief.

In situations such as these, cholera, an infectious and sometimes deadly disease, is caused by infected water. Gvozden also noted the large concern over malaria, with volunteers treating nearly 30 children a day who struggled with the disease.

“Every location is unique,” he said. “It has its own challenges to start with.”

Mozambique is one of the world's poorest countries and had recently finished its season of rain before Cyclone Idai complicated matters.

“They got decimated,” Gvozden said, pointing out the poor construction available to the people.

Thousands of people were displaced from their homes and businesses. The World Bank estimated that the recovery process will cost more than $2 billion. Researchers believe this is the deadliest storm to hit Mozambique in the last 50 years.

“Those people are hurting and scared and lonely,” Gvozden said.

Gvozden was aided by his ability to speak Portuguese, the official language in Mozambique. Still, there can be language barriers when traveling across the world to help others. Gvozden noted that there is one language that has no boundaries in times like these, the language of care and compassion for others.

“There is an eye contact or a touch,” he said. “Often, part of the healing is you being there and caring about them.”

For more information about Project HOPE, its relief efforts across the world or how to get involved, go www.projecthope.org.

“Every little bit counts. If everyone did a little every day, we would be in good shape,” Gvozden said about humanitarian efforts. “We need volunteers and people to contribute. I think that's the message I like to transmit to people.”

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