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So why donate to Jane Millar?  Well I have volunteered for this amazing challenge next May which involves me with 39 others, cycling 280 miles in 5 days in the fairly hilly terrain of Northern Malawi.

It is a pilgrimage on two wheels for the David Gordon Memorial Hospital in Livingstonia,  Malawi.

The reason why I am doing this is because Malawi is amongst one of the world's most densely populated countries & is ravaged by HIV/Aids/Malaria & other diseases.

As part of the EMMS bike ride we are fund raising for this particular hospital as it needs our help. At the moment it is a 100 bedded hospital situated in Livingstonia & serves a population of 75,000 (Scarborough has a population of 50,000).

 It has an outpatient department, a male/female/paediatric ward & a maternity unit. There is also an operating theatre, a small laboratory, an x-ray unit & a pharmacy. Health clinics have also been established to reach outlaying villages on the shores of lake Malawi (some unaccessable by road).

This hospital desperately needs upgrading & our donations will pay for upgrading the buildings, extending it's capacity (including training more staff), providing fresh water & solar power in order to function more efficiently.  

As many of you know I work as an NHS midwife in Scarborough. The majority of women in the UK go on to have a successful pregnancy & deliver a live & healthy baby - this is not the case in Malawi.

807  maternal deaths per 100,000 in Malawi

11 maternal deaths per 100,000 in the UK.

The reason why I am doing this is because the opportunity to enrol in the EMMS bike ride came my way soon after my Dad's untimely death so I wanted to do something that would challenge me both physically, mentally & also to do something worthwhile in rememberance of my Dad.

Just to give you an idea of how difficult this will be for me I did the "Coast to Coast" cycle route 6 years ago (therefore younger & fitter!!) which was 140 miles in 4 days & only just managed it. This bike ride is double the distance with one extra day in the heat!!!    So please dig deep and donate now.

Just to reassure you all my accommodation & flights will be paid out of my own purse so all your donations will go to this really good cause.

Thank you Jane

We Did It  What an amazing adventure, a once in a lifetime opportunity to see an amazing country with wonderful people who so desperately need our help & in a small way what jackie & I did (cycled 250 miles over 5 days) with so many generous folk encouraging us by donating money we have reached our target & EMMS have been able to buy mattresses for the new maternity block in Livingstonia, an ambulance to help patients get to the hospital (the outlying villages are miles away & the road upto Livingstonia is almost unwalkable unless you are a mountaineer!) & of course train staff.

We saw so many sights but what hit home the most was the distinct lack of "middle aged people" around, a huge number of orphanages & in most villages/towns there were coffin shops. It wasn't all doom & gloom infact almost the opposite everywhere we went we got such a lovely welcome & the children were so excited to see us. They loved having their photo's taken. We take so much for granted in this country so it was a really humbling experience to be able to get a snap shot of what life is like living in Malawi. 

So a huge thank you. I would love to do it again so watch this space!!  Jane Millar