I have had the enormous privilege of working as a paediatrician for 37 years, both in the West of Scotland and in Africa. The needs of children and their families throughout the world are great. To mark my retirement, I hope to raise money to support children’s health care in some of the poorest and most rural parts of Africa.

St Andrew’s Clinics for Children (STACC) was established in 1992 by staff at the University of Glasgow to support the delivery of primary health care to children in Africa and has provided treatment to over 1.6 million children since its inception. I am a Trustee and have been very impressed by the work of the hospitals and clinics, the large number of children treated with minimal staff, and the high standards achieved. The fact that such excellence is consistently maintained is a wonderful tribute to all involved. All health and managerial decisions are taken locally by the clinic personnel themselves, with the STACC Board seeking only to raise awareness and funding. Each health centre commits to having clear policies relating to equality, diversity and child safeguarding.

The abrupt withdrawal of funding from USAID has resulted in the loss of funding for many nurses in sub-Saharan Africa - over 50 from the two Ugandan hospitals that STACC supports. The salary of one nurse per annum is between £1,500 and £2,500 depending on their grade. Any money donated for my retirement will go towards paying for a nurse’s salary. This would mean so much to me and I thank you for considering this request.