CNWL's healthcare partners in Tanzania, Zimbabwe and The Gambia are desperately in need of basic supplies to help improve the mental health and care environment for their patients. Please give generously to help us and them in our collaborative work.

Mental healthcare is just as vital as physical healthcare. Both affect one another and contribute significantly to the improvement of our daily lives. We are striving to advocate for, and aid in the creation of, sufficient mental health services with our partners in Africa.

Currently, mental health facilities are not as readily available in our partnership communities as much as they are in the UK, we want to change that. For example, Tanka Tanka Hospital (who we are partnered with) is the only psychiatric hospital in The Gambia. With 100 beds to cover a population of 2.64 million people, and a staff of 69 people, most of whom are untrained. Likewise, in Tanzania, Mirembe National Mental Health Hospital is the national mental health referral hospital with 400 beds and only 280 staff. Resources are very scarce but they somehow manage remarkably creatively with what little they have.

Our target is £5,000, although the more we raise, the more we can achieve! So please give generously to help us and them in our collaborative work!

Your kind donations will be going towards the purchasing and improvement of everyday items and facilities so that patients in our partnering hospitals have the necessary access to quality mental health care. For example:

A £7 donation would pay for a personal care kit (a bucket, cup, water bottle, personal care items) enabling a reliable supply of everyday items contributing to improved physical and mental health.

A £60 donation will go towards therapeutic equipment e.g. sensory equipment, sporting equipment and gardening tools, enabling patients to partake in therapeutic activities and develop useful skills that can contribute to a healthier, more balanced diet and lifestyle.

A £100+ donation would contribute to a Wifi router and Internet data. As we all know, connectedness with loved ones and the world can contribute to ones recovery journey. The Wifi will aid in promoting better links not only for the service users but also is crucial in enabling us to conduct online staff training and improve our means of communication between CNWL staff and those working in our partnering hospitals.

Donations will also contribute to blankets, medical supplies, sewing machines and soap making supplies to name just a few! All of which can drastically improve the mental health of patients by addressing basic shortcomings in physical healthcare.

To find out more about these partnerships, please contact either:

Tariro Gumbo, Senior Community Partnerships & Engagement Lead (Tariro.gumbo@nhs.net)

Chris Bumstead, CNWL International Healthcare Partrnerships Coordinator (c.bumstead@nhs.net)