The Village at Rockville Donates Beds to African Hospitals

The Village at Rockville recently donated 102 Hill-Rom hospital beds to hospitals in Africa through the efforts of a nurse at the Safe Bridge of Help, a nonprofit providing health care and education programs to the people of Cameroon.

The "gently used" bed were no longer needed by the retirement community, formerly known as the , which is undergoing a four-year renovation.

TVAR .

Odette Fanga, a geriatric nursing assistant, suggested the donation, according to a TVAR news release. Fanga, a TVAR employee since 2004, is the wife of Samuel Fanga Ngahane, a project director for SBH and native of Cameroon.

Fanga faciltated the donation, with the help of Nick Richardson, TVAR’s director of building services. 

“We know that many people are miserable and that hospitals don’t even have the medications they need,” said Richard G. Mbako, SBH's president. “Knowing that, it would be selfish of us to keep what we have to ourselves.”

SBH comprises 11 members, all of whom donate money to make these donations and deliveries to the people of Cameroon possible. On a trip last year to Cameroon, many nurses pleaded with SBH for assistance.

For TVAR, the partnership was a natural fit and provided a way to not only enhance the lives of seniors locally, but enhance the lives of people in Cameroon.

“It is a pleasure to be able to donate gently used beds to another mission-minded organization that enhances the lives of others,” said TVAR executive director Frank McGovern. “Employees like Odette are a great asset to our organization."