Joys For Humanity

One of our GP clients is trying to help transform the health of a small community in rural Uganda, in a town called Kyazanga in the Central District of Lwengo, which is poverty stricken and has one of the worst maternal mortality rates in the world. In the UK, there are 12 deaths per 100,000 births. In Lwengo there are 500 deaths per 100,000 births.

Can you help Elsdale St Surgery in Hackney make a bigger difference, in partnership with “Joy For Humanity” in Lwengo, Uganda. In January they started a campaign to support 150 mums to give birth at the modern health centre, they have recently helped to build. (www.joyforhumanity.org ). The aim is to encourage the local mums to visit the modern facility rather than giving birth in their little one room, home with an untrained village birth attendant, with many dangerous practices. The service includes antenatal appointments, scans and the birth with packs to go home with. This comprehensive service is not available anywhere else in the District of Lwengo which has a population of 270,000. In fact, the health centre has the only scanner in the District. (Donated by a RBP client). It is so different from our NHS service.

The cost of antenatal care and giving birth is £50 but this is beyond the reach of most local mums, hence they continue to use the village birth attendants. Joy For Humanity, with Elsdale St are trying to raise enough money to subsidise 150 births at £39 each (a total of £5,850). They can afford £11, which is what we ask them pay. Since January 39 Mums have come forward and started the antenatal process (or given birth). The number of births in the health centre has already grown from 2 per month to 10 per month. The program is also building awareness, within the local community, that a high-quality health centre does not mean a high price. In the future, we hope to be delivering 100 babies per month which we will be able to do at a much lower affordable price and remain sustainable. The aim of the health centre is to be affordable to the local community and provide a safe and high standard of care. We cannot provide services free at point of use like we do in the NHS.

To donate please go to the Joy For Humanity JustGiving page:

https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/mumgivingbirth

Note - Dr Heather Charles and Kevin Belcher from Elsdale St are trustees of JFH and regularly visit Uganda. If you would like to find out more do email Kevin.belcher@nhs.net. They organise regular visits and medical camps in Kyazanga and if you are interested more in the trips, please visit:

https://joyforhumanity.org/vision-trips