Who we help

Current projects

 

There are currently 31 projects altogether between Malawi and Zambia which Pauline oversees.

 

These include :

 

In Malawi:

 

Two hospitals,

· a small hospital run by man and wife doctors near Lilongwe International Airport gives free treatment to its patients,

· Lilongwe Central Hospital is the 2^nd one. When Robert and Pauline first visited they found it needing everything from dressings to cut-down sets. We were able to supply these and continue to do so. Over several months they were given about 200 Glucose Monitors which are very necessary for pregnant woman. They can develop Diabetes and die in childbirth,

· Two clinics, two orphanages and a nursery school. Both clinics receive dressings etc (see pictures on page 4) and the Gynaecologist at Lilongwe Central Hospital runs clinics there and brings some other supplies,

· an ophthalmologist,

· Kawawli orphanage is run by about six Mother Theresa nuns. It is home to babies from one day to three years old. The children have many infections and the babies are quite sick. Pauline was quite shocked at the state of the nuns on her first visit – they had been working round the clock with no thought for their own health. Once they became confident in Pauline they listened to her advice about some resting while others continued to work. They had very many needs so we sent out e.g. towelling nappies, Napisan, gloves, lots of clothing, baby bottles and feeding cups, toys, nursery books and seeds for the vegetable garden. Recently we sent out nurses uniforms to lift the morale of the unskilled local helpers. The head nun (a Kenyan lady) gave out the uniforms so that they would change out of their own clothes when they came in, reducing cross-infection,

· Pauline has trained (unqualified) village midwives in basic hygiene in both Zambia and Malawi so they can protect themselves, the baby and mother. We were able to supply stitch scissors to cut the umbilical cord instead of rubbing it on a stone and Pauline showed them how to sterilise them and when she gave them latex gloves the women in Malawi said they could charge the mothers less now they were protected from HIV,

· a Home Base Care Team run by the Airport Police, who introduced them to

· the Fire Service at Lilongwe airport who had an empty first aid box. Pauline was able to give them latex gloves, dressings, bandages, airways and ambu-bags,

· the Traffic Police asked Pauline if she would help them with gloves as they had no protection when attending accidents. They were supplied,

· Area 25 Home Base Care Teams, knowledge of the latter coming through a chance conversation between Robert and their young son’s teacher. They needed babies’ bottles and latex gloves. Through this Pauline discovered

· Area 49 HBCT which has two qualified nurses working with them and a clinic at a church. They were supplied with gloves and Aqueous Cream,

and two further small clinics.

An example of Pauline using her farming upbringing was when she noticed a village not farming after some years of drought. She asked them if they would start again if they got help. She got their agreement. She asked for people to volunteer to teach the children – the girls as well as the boys. There was initial reluctance about this which she overcame by pointing out the value of her parent’s investment in her education.
Having done that she went to the European Union in Africa and the African Union and got their help, along with the government of Malawi, to run a public works project giving insecticide, irrigation pumps and two agricultural technicians to start them off.

 

 

In Zambia:

· a 7^th Day Adventist mission hospital on the border between Chipata and Malawi and which gives free treatment to patients from both sides of the border. They desperately need syringes and needles and orthopaedic screws and plates. Pauline was impressed with how they are managing with so little,

· Fatima Home Base Care, (see page 4)

· Tionge Community School/Orphanage, where the school is training teenagers in crafts. We are able to supply some education materials and clothing,

· They now have an extension school in the “Griffiths Farm” area, which has only recently been made a legitimate residential area,

· Undertakers (get latex gloves) village midwives,

· carers in the home (usually the wives)

· an ophthalmologist,

· two clinics,

Chipata Home Base Care Team,

 

Pauline assesses all these projects using her local knowledge and as a nurse with higher education in Scotland. Some personal support is sent out from time to time for Pauline and Robert to try and help them now that Pauline is not in paid employment, (although she is waiting for some interview results – early 2007).