Luitgard Näkel, called “Lu”, serves as NFN’s health advisor. Born and raised in a family of physicians in Palentine, Germany, the xx-year old internist today works as a senior physician at St. Joseph Hospital in Adneau, a small town near Bonn. Prior to earning her medical degree at the Free University of Berlin, Näkel studied anthropology in the early 1980s. During that period, she met NSF chairman Costello Garang Ring Lual and the two became close friends. As part of a field research, Lu traveled to Southern Sudan shortly before the outbreak of the civil war in 1983. Näkel has been fascinated by the country ever since and determined to help its people. For this purpose, Lu founded the children’s charity METH (“meth” means “children” in the Dinka language), which is a cooperating non-profit partner of the NSF. The NGO’s main objective is the training of community health workers in South Sudan. Since 2002, Näkel has spent her annual vacation leave to assist local doctors and provide much needed medical care to the population in Marial Baai, Northern Bahr al Ghazal and other parts of the country. Over the course of the years, the rural Aweil region became Lu’s second home and she gained an excellent reputation and a great deal of respect among the villagers, who affectionately call her “Aluel” (the red one). During her stays in Africa, Lu Näkel treats, among others, patients with severe eye diseases and organizes the supply of urgently needed medication. For her volunteer work and outstanding commitment to the Southern Sudanese people during and after the war, Lu Näkel has received several prestigious awards. A few years ago, she was recognized by Federal President Horst Köhler at a reception at Schloss Bellevue, which is the official residence of the President of Germany in Berlin. Dr.Lu has treated over three thousand patients in South Sudan so far. Location Date Cataract Surgeries Total Surgeries Patients Marial Bai 2005 284 292 746 Marial Bai 04/2007 299 306 650 Marial Bai 12/2007 284 290 596 Aweil 2008 328 335 742 Aweil 04/2009 373 382 770 Raga 11/2009 17 23 Marial Bai 03/2010 361 367 812 Marial Bai 11/2011 292 305 810 Aweil 12/2011 405 413 800 Aweil 10/2013 350