August 15, 2008
Dr. Jill Seaman with Gatmai, a Nuer tribe child in Sudan.
Fundraiser benefits Sudan project
by Katrina Baldwin
Bethel community members gathered at the Cultural Center August 8 to raise money for a medical project in Old Fangak, Sudan, run by YKHC's Dr. Jill Seaman.
Throughout the course of the evening, a typical Sudanese meal of lentil soup and rice was served. Desserts were sold and a myriad of donated items were auctioned off to raise a total of $11,000.
Dr. Seaman presented a slideshow on the region of Sudan which is home to the Nuer, a predominately nomadic tribe of cattle herders who maintain a traditional lifestyle on an island in the middle of the largest swamp in the world. Dr. Seaman's images depict a region of the world plagued by disease, many of which are preventable and curable.
Along with an alarming view of the poverty and famine in Old Fangak, Dr. Seaman's images present a hopeful glimpse at those cured by the medical care she brings to the region.
Dr. Seaman first came to the YK-Delta in 1989. She now splits her time between Bethel and Old Fangak, Sudan where she has dedicated much of the last 19-years to improving the health and saving the lives of the people there.
The money raised will go directly to the project in the form of medicine, I.V.'s, latex gloves, mosquito netting and other medical supplies.
