Dec. 19, 2018
CWU Biology Prof Active in the Fundraising Effort for His Hometown in Cameroon
When a light switch is flipped on, a phone call answered or a home heated; all require electricity in order work, something taken for granted in the United States and much of the world.
But not every community has immediate access to electricity. In Dec of 2017 the Sophine Awounke Community Health Center in Bawa, Cameroon, installed solar panels to its clinic. Funds for the solar panels were raised by the Ellensburg Noon Rotary Club.
The electricity now supplies power to medical equipment for things like an ultrasound machine and microscopes to help identify hookworm, sickle cell, malaria and other diseases. Bawa is a small rural village in Cameroon with a population of more than 400. The clinic serves not only as the village’s only source of medical care, but provides for the surrounding area as well.
“There is no power in my village. There is no electricity. In the clinic … we have all sorts of equipment that requires power, but having the solar panel is going to provide a constant source of power,” said Blaise Dondji, Central Washington University biology professor.
Dondji holds a Ph.D. in infectious diseases and teaches biology at Central Washington University. Dondji was born in Bawa, but more importantly, his line of work emphasized the imperativeness of health care. Dondji also has a personal connection to healthcare barriers as his mother died due to complications giving birth to his younger sister.
Read the article in its entirety online at the Daily Record.