Manish Amlani
A Christmas Curry 2018!
Fundraising for HIPZ - Health Improvement Project Zanzibar
Story
“Tis the season to be jolly Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!”
Bhavna and I are really excited about celebrating Christmas with our closest friends this year and what better way than to invite you all over to our place to party the night away with a good old-fashioned curry!!
We’ve arranged for a local Indian restaurant, Saffron Lounge, to supply us with a selection of canapes, starters, main courses and desserts to fill our bellies and all we need is our best mates to turn up with a bottle (or two or more!) of their chosen tipple and that special festive spirit that only our group deliver… I’m hearing our awesome and very unique rendition of “Fiiivevvee golllldddd riiiings” in my ears already!
Bhavna and I have decided to cover the full cost of the food and catering staff from the Saffron Lounge and would like to request that you donate £25 (or more if you desire) per head to a charity called HIPZ that does some really amazing lifesaving work for the lovely people of Zanzibar… for those of you who don’t know what they do, they are the charity that I did my sponsored 313km bike ride for in 2017 and I’ve included some details about their work below along with how the money donated has made a real difference to those in need.
We really hope you can join us for what will no doubt be yet another memorable evening in the history of our group and at the same time raise some money for those who aren’t as fortunate as us!
I would like to add that Bhavna and I are funding this dinner and so all the money you donate on this page will go directly to the charity.
Thank you for your support and look forward to seeing you with you santa hats on the 21st
Manish and Bhavna :-)
Why support HIPZ?
Despite the seemingly idyllic setting in Zanzibar, life is tough. 1 in every 15 infants die, often from preventable causes. 1 in 325 Zanzibari women die in childbirth. HIPZ, Health Improvement Project Zanzibar is changing this and you can be a part of the solution.
Healthcare Provision
When HIPZ arrived at Makunduchi Hospital in 2007 there were no doctors, non-existent management, and extremely run down, dilapidated facilities. Before HIPZ, neither Kivunge nor Makunduchi Hospitals had ever had a doctor employed as a regular member of staff. Existing staff were minimally trained with no senior support and suffered with low morale.
There were very high levels of infant and maternal mortality, malnutrition and both communicable and non-communicable diseases, all of which are largely preventable.
Prior to HIPZ's involvement, neither district hospital was working effectively. There were no doctors based there, so the majority of patients with anything other than minor problems would have to attend the only referral centre, Mnazi Mmoja in the capital, resulting in huge pressure on the main hospital.
Improvements
In the time since HIPZ has been working in Zanzibar, the following key improvements have taken place:
- Maternal mortality has declined by 28% from 1 in every 235 to 1 in every 325 live births
- Life expectancy has increased from 59 to 65
- Under 5 mortality has reduced by more than 50% from 1 in 7 to 1 in 15 live births
Click the link below to read more about HIPZ’s success in transforming Makunduchi and Kivunge Hospitals.
https://www.hipz.org.uk/what-we-do
A New Challenge
In 2012, following the success of HIPZ’s involvement at Makunduchi, the Ministry of Health requested that HIPZ undertake a similar 10-year project at Kivunge Hospital in the north of the island.
HIPZ now manages the only two hospitals outside of the Zanzibar capital, Stone Town.
Although the hospitals are part of the state system, HIPZ runs them at a day-to-day level. HIPZ provides the volunteer doctors, equipment and medical supplies, undertakes renovations, develops management systems and, most importantly, trains the local staff.
HIPZ believe this approach to be unique. It is based on shared responsibility and collaboration between a charity and a Government. The 10-year lease enables HIPZ to embed good clinical practice, upgrade the facilities and train the next generation of healthcare workers. All this is vital for the successful future return to full Zanzibari-delivered services and for long term clinical and financial sustainability.
The key to all charitable work in the Developing World is sustainability and this is very much the principle that underpins the HIPZ Model. Everything they do is working towards this goal and operating in partnership with the Zanzibari government makes this feasible within the agreed 10 year timeframe.
This Christmas HIPZ hope to raise funds to go towards the cost of running the hospitals throughout December – to ensure that patients can get the healthcare they need over the festive period.
£50 could provide lifesaving equipment and monitoring of an inpatient, ensuring they get the healthcare they need.
£25 could ensure a child with acute malnutrition gets the nutrition and care they need to survive and thrive.
£10 could pay for an ambulance transfer for a woman in labour to ensure she has the medical support she needs to deliver her baby safely this Christmas.
Thank you for your support.