FEATURE 17• FEBRUARY 2007FLOURISH

WHEN Eileen Reilly volun-teered to work in Liberia,she was afraid she mightnot fit in.

But having spent a year deliv-ering babies, the consultant obste-trician cannot break the cord thatties her to a people who desper-ately need her expertise.

The 39 year-old Glasgowdoctor, who resumed her missionafter spending Christmas andNew Year back home, said: “Ihad to stay in Liberia where myskills were really needed.

“It is so common for mumsand babies to die in childbirth inLiberia that I realised there wasno way I could just leave themand return to Scotland.”

Eileen first went to Liberia in2005 with Scottish InternationalRelief. For over a decade thecharity has been supporting thework of Fr Garry Jenkins, of theSMA Fathers, in the west Africancountry.

She secured a year’s unpaidsabbatical from her bosses at the

Royal Alexandra Hospital inPaisley and Greenock RoyalInfirmary.

She said: “I felt unfulfilled inmy work here, I needed anotherchallenge. The minute I was thereI felt like my work was making adifference. I could clearly see theneed.”

The doctor, who grew up inBishopbriggs and was latterly aparishioner of St Paul’s,Whiteinch, admits that her firstimpression of her new base was:“What a disaster area!”

StruggleAt St Luke’s clinic in

Tubmanburg - a rural town about50 miles from the capitalMonrovia - Eileen treats 100,000people from across the BomiHills area.

She said; “Everyday is astruggle for people in Liberia.Their first task each day is to findwater then to think about food.

“We don’t even have running

water in the clinic - I have to usebuckets collected from a well towash my hands and instruments.

“And we only have electricityfor a few hours at a time thanks toa generator.”

Eileen added: “Everything isdoubly hard for a pregnantwoman.

“Women have a low status inLiberia anyway, but many are indreadful positions after losingtheir husbands in wars or beingraped. If it is their first pregnancy,they are at higher risk of malariaand anaemia.

“With malnutrition and a lackof any kind of infrastructure orproper medical facilities, it is nowonder so many women andbabies die.”

Women risk a one in16 chanceof dying during pregnancy orchildbirth. In industrialised coun-tries that chance is only one in4000.

Despite the hardships, peoplehave a great enthusiasm for life.And it was their eagerness towelcome her that ensured Eileenwas gripped.

“Your skills can go so muchfurther. Even the smallest thingsthat we take for granted can reallymake a difference.”

Liberia has only 30 registereddoctors and other medical staffhave poor, if any, training.

Many women give birth athome, miles from anywhere, withonly a birth attendant to help.

Eileen said: “Sometimes I amhorrified by the lack of properfacilities, knowledge and skill.

“It makes even the simplest ofprocedures unbearably difficult.

“That is compounded by whatstaff there is completely lackingmotivation as they are poorlypaid. When I first arrived I wasoverwhelmed by what I saw ...barefoot children in raggedclothes, dirt, flies and mud.

“When I first saw the clinic Iwas astounded as they didn’teven had scales to weigh babies,never mind basics as oxygen andessential medicines.

“The first birth I saw was inthis horribly dark, messy roomwith this tiny bed stuck in thecorner on which the poor womanwas sort of lying half-on and half-off.

“I knew then that I had a lot ofwork to do.”

But as well as shocking sights,Eileen has also seen the positiveimpact her work and that of clinicfunders Scottish InternationalRelief (SIR) have on a struggling,post-war community.

AmazingShe said: “There have been

some fabulous experiences. “All the children are gorgeous

and seeing a baby come backfrom the brink of death isamazing.

“That is what keeps me inLiberia - watching a malnour-ished baby put on weight andbegin to act like a baby again.

“And it is wonderful to see themum find enjoyment in her babyagain and rebuild their relation-ship.”

Eileen now runs a well-organ-ised clinic, acting almost like a GP.

She is in the process ofbuilding eight birthing rooms andsetting up educational workshopsto teach the women about basicnutrition.

The clinic also hope to takeover a nearby military hospitalsoon.

She said: “As I am going backfor the foreseeable future, my aimis to set up properly organisedmedical care focusing on maternity.

“Beyond that I don’t know - butI can safely say I have got the bugas far as working in Africa goes.”

Day for ReligiousArchbishop Conti marks theChurch's day of ConsecratedLife by celebrating Mass withthe Religious of theArchdiocese on Saturday 3February at 1pm in StAndrew's Cathedral, ClydeStreet. Members of religiouscongregations, serving acrossthe Archdiocese in a variety ofapostolates, are due to jointhe celebrations.

Glasgow doctor Eileen Reilly is providing a much needed lifeline to Liberia’s mothers and babies

No way could I walk away fromwhere my skills are needed

by Maria Gilmore

Fern’s birthday bash is icing on the cake

FOR WOMEN EXPLORING FRANCISCAN VOCATION

www.franciscanvocations.org.uk

GLASGOW YOUNGSTER Fern Robertson has justcelebrated her eighth birthday.

But already her selflessness is helping feedhundreds of children around the world.

For instead of indulging herself with gifts onher 29 December birthday, Fern asked her pals todonate money to Scottish International Relief’sMary’s Meals project.

And her big-hearted gesture boosted thecharity’s funds by over £200. In places likeMalawi, Peru and Liberia where Mary’s Mealsoperate £5 can guarantee a daily meal for chil-dren for a whole year.

Fern is a parishioner of Holy Name,Mansewood, and pupil at Our Lady of the

Missions Primary on the southside of Glasgow.She was alerted to the Mary’s Meal initiative

after the parish adopted it as its Jesse Tree bene-ficiary during Advent.

Fr Noel Burke, parish priest of Holy Name,said: “Our parish was much taken by the greatwork of SIR and Mary’s Meals. This was exem-plified by the initiative adopted by Fern.

“When you consider that children here canspend £5 on just one fast-food meal, it isamazing that it costs only £5 to feed a child for awhole year. Thanks to Fern and her friends thatmessage is getting across to more people.”

of Care in the Community

St Margaret ofScotland Hospice

East Barns Street, Clydebank G81 1EGTel 0141 952 1141 Fax 0141 951 4206

Email office@smh.org.uk or visitwww.smh.org.uk

57 years

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