Mostar Hospital has been one of St. Clare's missions from its beginning. The city of Mostar and this hospital still depict the remains of the war. The hospital is in great need of support. Without the aid of charities, it would be hard for the hospital to exist. One can still see how badly the hospital was damaged during the war by looking at the exterior and interior of the hospital. The furniture and medical equipment are old and outdated.

Sister Silvana, a Franciscan nun who is Head Nurse of the OB/GYN ward at the hospital, relies on the charity of those who bring newborn baby diapers, baby clothes, baby powder, Advil, writing pens and pads, medications, etc. In America, mothers-to-be can expect very warm and inviting conditions to bring forth their child into the world. This is not the case in the Mostar Hospital. The rooms for these mothers are very depressing with at least five beds and little bassinets per room. All babies stay in the rooms with their mothers. There are no private bathrooms in these rooms. Mothers have to go to the end of the hallway to use a bathroom. The recovery room is the hallway. We witnessed a logjam of beds in the hallway one day when 21 new babies had been born that morning. The intensive care unit has four to five beds per room. The word "privacy" does not exist for these mothers.

Since 2002, St. Clare has been providing the OB/GYN ward with newborn baby diapers, baby clothes, new hospital sheets and bed liners, baby products such as powder, lotions, shampoos, medications and over the counter products such as Advil, Tylenol, Aleve, hand creams for the mothers, writing pens and pads, bandages and tapes, etc.

In addition, we work with Sister Silvana supplying food, clothing, medical supplies, medicines and school supplies to poor families in the Mostar area. Sister Silvana is highly regarded and trusted by the local people.

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