Hi,

Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page. As some of you will be aware we are going to Tanzania in April as part of our medical elective. While there, we will be based at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) in the paediatric department. 

KCMC is located in the foothills of Kilimanjaro and is a referral hospital for over 11 million Tanzanian people, making it one of the biggest hospitals in Tanzania. Despite this, it is still small compared to most UK hospitals due to limitations in resources and funding. 

Before starting our time there, we have decided to climb Kilimanjaro in order to raise money for the paediatric department. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rates of child mortality in the world, and 1 in 9 children in Tanzania die before their fifth birthday, usually from conditions which are easily treatable or entirely preventable.

One reason for this is a lack of basic medical equipment, which we take for granted in the UK. Blood pressure machines and pulse oximeters (machines for checking blood oxygen concentrations) are vital for identifying and monitoring serious illness in children, but are in short supply in Tanzania leading to unnecessary deaths. NG (feeding) tubes are also in short supply, and are essential for nutrition in many paediatric conditions.

We really wanted to help the paediatric department at the hospital, and thought that the best way to do this would be to take some basic medical equipment out with us. We have spoken to the paediatric department, who have said that they have a particular shortage of the three items mentioned above, so we have decided to raise as much money as possible, to provide more basic equipment for the children at KCMC. 

After talking about climbing Kilimanjaro for many years, we are really excited that it is finally going ahead, especially when linked to what we think is such a great cause. Any donations would be greatly appreciated, and we will make sure that we keep you updated with pictures and information on how your money has helped when we get there via our blog (to be set up shortly). 

Thank you so much for your generosity - we hope you feel as passionate about this cause as we do - although we know climbing Kilimanjaro will be a challenge, it is nothing compared to what these children face on a daily basis. 

Thanks again,

Georgina and Charlotte

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