St Andrews Clinics for Children
Many of you will be aware of our committment to St Andrew’s Clinics for Children ( Scottish Charity 140214) which provides basic and really essential healthcare for children in sub Saharan Africa and I wanted to share with you some of our successes over the last year.
We are very proud to announce that yet again 95% of funds raised were spent on frontline health care for poor children and as you will see from what follows this money is really making a difference.
In Ghana we are working in the isolated Bongo region where a high priority is given to dental care because of high levels of natural fluoride in the water and also to the treatment of urinary schistosomiasis, a worm infection giving rise to pain, bleeding, organ damage and even bladder cancer. About 200 million Africans – mainly children – suffer from forms of this condition but only around 30 million receive treatment. One oral dose per child brings significant relief and we are about to start local dosing. Our annual committment to the project in Ghana in £10,000.
We are working with the Masai around Lake Magadi in Kenya where irregular rains in recent years has caused considerable suffering. The team there provide bednets to help prevent mosquito bites and so malaria and also distribute water treatment tablets to help reduce episodes of debillitating diarrhoea. This work requires £6000 annually.
In the Osun State of Nigeria we support 16 mobile clinics targetted at the under fives. On average the clinics handle over 700 consultations per month at an annual committment of £24,000. For the families we help this is their only real access to modern healthcare and quality medicines.
Together with the Ivo de Carneri Foundation of Milan we support a clinic for mothers and children on Pemba Island in Zanzibar. The clinic has provided around 20,000 consultations and treatments over the last year. Our annual contribution is £10,000.
Our very successful programme for controlling intestinal worm infections in Sierra Leone has now been incorporated into the government’s national control programme allowing Sierra Leone to meet the World Health Assembly’s target that at least 75% of school age children having access to medicine for the treatment of intestinal worm infections by 2010. Our clinics for young children continue to provide essential services at a cost for 2011 of £18,000.
Finally we are continuing to support the children’s ward of St Kizito Hospital in Uganda which was recently expanded to 119 beds. During the last year 6911 children were treated – yes, do the sums! The annual cost per bed is about £850 so our £22,000 per year supports about 26.
From this you will have seen that we will need £90,000 to continue this work in the coming year. While times are undoubtedly tough for all of us if you do feel this is a charity you would like to support we would welcome any donations. We are also happy to talk to organisations about this important work or to suggest particular projects for individual sponsorship such as equipment or a hospital bed. Cheques made payable to St Andrew’s Clinics for Children can be sent to PO Box 461 Glasgow G12 8QT or donations made at www.justgiving.com/stacc/donate
More information can be found at www.standrewsclinics.org.uk