Ghana Bandage Project

Elisabeth Faile watches as Tommy Harrison and BMC employees unload the drums from the truckTabernacle Baptist Church in Cartersville, GA coordinates the Ghana Bandage Project for BMC. Throughout the year the church collects bandages made from bed sheets, old church offering envelopes, and empty film canisters. When they have filled 160 55-gallon drums, they ship them in a container to Nalerigu, Ghana.

If you, your Bible Study group, or your church are interested in contributing to the Ghana Bandage Project contact Vicki Barnes at 770-386-2890 or vbarnes275@aol.com

Following is more information about how the items collected are used:

Bandages from Bed Sheets

bmc-website-8.jpgThey need to be clean and torn into 3″ strips and rolled into bandages.

Process for making bandages:

  • The sheets should be freshly washed. The types of sheets needed are any color or pattern. Cotton fabrics work best although polyester blends are fine.
  • The simplest and best method to tear the sheets is to snip the hems, selvages (and if fitted, the elastic areas) and tear to remove.
  • Fold the sheet in half so that you have the longest strip possible. Snip the folded sheet every 3″. Tear the sheet into strips. Remove the excess threads or strings by just gleaning your hands down the strips.
  • Roll the strips into bandages beginning by rolling the first strip on a pencil or dowel rod. Do not tape the end to the rod. At the end of the first strip, just lay the end down and place the beginning of another strip on top of the first one’s end and continue to roll. You can remove the pencil or dowel at this time by gently turning it in the opposite direction. You will need about 6-8 strips depending on the length of the strips. Make the roll approximately 3-31/2″ in diameter.
  • Put a small piece of tape on the finished roll to hold it together. The TIGHTER you can roll the better.
  • Do not use pins, strings, or rubber bands to hold rolls together – use either cellophane or masking tape

Church Offering Envelopes

bmc-website-10.jpgMany Baptist churches give members an envelope per week for their tithes and offerings. Often members have left over envelopes at the end of the year. Your church can collect these left-overs and put them to good use at BMC.

bmc-website-9.jpgThe offering envelopes are used to dispense prescriptions. BMC fills up to 5,000 envelopes a week with pills. If it is a small prescription they cut the envelope in half and fold it over.

You could help BMC out by collecting these and sending them to Tabernacle Baptist in Cartersville, GA.