Meanwhile, i have visited the two projects we run in CAR already twice. I managed as well to visit the remotely controlled project in Boguila. In Boguila, we ran in the past a regular project. Due to a security incident, in which three of our staff was killed, we decided we could not stay there anymore. However, the need for our presence was still there, so we started to run this project remotely. First we stayed in Paoua, with MSF France. Later we decided to integrate this project with our Bossangoa project.

Nowadays, security permits us to get back to Boguila, either by road (4 hours one-way) or by plane (25 minutes from Bossangoa). When we travel by plane, we can have a maximum of 3 hours on the ground, which obviously does not leave a lot of time for staff to perform their duties. Also, due to the length of the runway there, we have limited take-off weight, so we can only take 6 passengers on the plane. However, we are starting to stay overnight in Boguila again, giving the team (logistical or medical) more time to work on the ground.

In Boguila, we support part of the hospital, and an adjacent health center. When I arrived on the airstrip, it felt as if I was back in Zemio: it is a very rural, small town with no facilities whatsoever. There is still the former expat house (which we intend to rent again for overnight stays). Currently, our staff coming from Boguila stays at the health center, where we have some primitive facilities like latrines and showers. However, the team has to sleep in dormitories, and for larger groups the facilities are not sufficient.

I was able to visit both the hospital and the health center for a little over 2 hours. We got called back to the plane because the weather was bad, and if we would not leave immediately, it would not be sure we would be able to get back to Bangui. It was however very nice to see health facilities working relatively well in such a primitive setting.