Sierra Leone is a wonderful country, full of culture, diversity and natural beauty.

But, it has some of the worst health statistics in the world.

Help Madina was set up over 14 years ago for the people of Sierra Leone.

We work closely with the local communities to improve standards for all ages from tiny newborns to the elderly.

As volunteers we fund our own flights, transport, accommodation, food etc. This means that donations can be spent in their entirety on those we are privileged to serve.

We have a small team of dedicated staff and all of our medical projects are supervised by Dr Patrick Turay, Medical Director at the Holy Spirit Hospital, Makeni.

Medical Projects:

Feeding centre for children with severe acute malnutrition - We follow UNICEF guidelines providing life saving medication, local food supplies and and abundance of love for the little ones and their mothers/guardians. Over the last 14 years the lives of hundreds of malnourished children have been saved.

Diabetes care - In 2013 we launched the first structured diabetes service in Sierra Leone. We now have hundreds of patients registered with the facility. At present we have 46 children and young adults with T1D for which they require insulin. Insulin is very difficult to access in Sierra Leone so we bring insulin in our suitcases. We are filming a documentary to tell the stories of those who need insulin to live but through no fault of their own cannot access it. This is despite insulin being classified by WHO as an essential drug.

Eye services - Cataract is a major cause of blindness. The impact of visual impairment is devastating not only for the individual concerned but also for the whole family. HelpMadina screens for cataracts in remote villages. We fund the cost of cataract surgery which is performed by a local opthalmic team. This year, 37 people have had their vision restored which is transformational ! We plan to do many more depending upon funding. (approx cost of cataract surgery £35 per eye).

HelpMadina also provides reading glasses (we buy these from shops in the UK and carry them out in our suitcases).There are very few opticians in Sierra Leone.

Hernia project - We were asked by the local community to assist with the repair of hernias in the farming community. Having a hernia makes it difficult to work on the farms so people descend further into poverty.

We therefore set up a hernia repair service. Surgery is carried out in a local government hospital. The project is its pilot stage but already it seems to be very popular and successful. (approx cost of hernia repair £50)

Outreach Work - The HelpMadina team travels each week to villages to sensitise communities about our projects and to provide health education in a cultural context. It is also an opportunity to screen for malnutrition (using MUAC tape), cataracts and hernias, and to discuss any difficulties faced by the people for example no access to clean water.

Community Projects

VIP toilets - The community leaders told us that people were using the fields to urinate and defecate. This is unhygienic, undignified and unsafe. We now fund the building of toilets with the aim that every household should have its own. To date we have built 180 (approx £75 per toilet)

Water Wells - These are poorly maintained and so often breakdown. In villages that do not have a working well, the women and children have to walk to streams several times a day. This can be dangerous and unsafe. HelpMadina is committed to fixing broken wells, as funds allow.

Care of the vulnerable elderly - The community requested assistance for the vulnerable elderly ie those who live alone with no family. (many families were destroyed in the civil war). HelpMadina provides rice and new clothing, which is made by a local tailor.

Football - Football brings young people together, irrespective of tribe and religion. HelpMadina promotes the running of tournaments and provides football kit and equipment donated by UK clubs.

Other Projects

Education and Training - We provide training for our core members of staff. We are sponsoring a young student through medical school in Freetown.

We are in the process of establishing a link with the University of Makeni (UNIMAK) and their public health department.

We have links with University of Nottingham who have come out to do 2 research projects focusing on health and diabetes in the local area. We hope this research will help us continue our fight to help the people of Sierra Leone.