Childhood mortality is a tragedy that still grips much of the African continent, with one in four children never reaching their fifteenth birthday. Maternal mortality rates are also needlessly high and countless lives continue to be lost to treatable diseases such as malaria.

But this is not just a story of poverty and disease. There is another story being told in Rwentobo, SW Uganda where Hope Community Clinic serves a population of about 9,400 people whose lives are blighted by poverty, disease and ill health. In this part of the country, maternal and neonatal death statistics are among the highest in the world but the clinic is bringing hope where there was previously fear by providing affordable healthcare. From January to August 2023, a team of just 6 qualified local health professionals saw 3,146 clients, providing the following:

• Health promotion

• Family planning

• Antenatal and post-natal care

• Childhood immunisations for up to 50 children each week

• Wound care

• Treatment of minor injuries

• Assessment for diseases such as malaria, TB and typhoid

• Laboratory testing

• Inpatient services for patients needing to stay overnight

• Community outreach, including antenatal care and vaccinations for those unable to get to the clinic.

By the end of 2023, the plan in to increase maternity care to include post-partum, (delivery of babies). This will require a second Clinical Officer and a registered midwife, as well as modifications to the building to create a delivery suite and maternity ward.

BUT, before this can happen, the existing building is in urgent need of repair to the exterior walls and that is what this campaign is all about. We have received a quotation for £2,400 to strip back the damaged, crumbling wall around the whole of the perimeter of the large clinic building, insert a damp course shelf and then apply bricks below as a long-term solution and plaster and paint the wall above. So the finished wall appears looks like this.

£1,000 has been pledged towards the cost so we are hoping to raise another £1,000 to match this. Any amount over £1,000 will go towards the cost of a rain shelter over the front door to stop rain entering the clinic as happens occasionally during tropical storms.