NKHAMENYA COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

CO and patient

They met several new members of staff. For example, a new Clinical Officer who is very committed to the hospital and proficient in minor obstetric surgery. He will be undergoing further training at Kasungu District Hospital.

The Ward

The male and female wards have undergone complete renovation and the beds, bedding, mattresses and curtains are new, all funded by Angels. We are providing drugs, surgical equipment for the maternity unit, and microscopes for the laboratory.

The ceiling

NKHAMENYA HOSPITAL PRIORITY LIST FOR 2012:

(Sr Perpetual & Trustee Karen in the new vegetable garden)

Sr Perpetual has developed a garden area behind the laundry as a pilot project for a nutrition programme for the hospital. She has laid underground pipes from a new water supply which we funded, and joined them to hoses and sprinklers. She has managed to irrigate this area so well that now the gardeners are growing maize, mustard, green beans, and even strawberries. The garden is thriving.

Volunteer

There are now 350 volunteers working for the hospital which is a great achievement. They collect and deliver repeat prescriptions, monitor the HIV/AIDS infected patients and check their medication. All the data that they record is put on the hospital computer system. They play a very big part in the day to day running of Mtendere.

The fleet of bikes

Transport is a major problem. The hospital has a huge catchment population spread over a very large area. Many people live in remote villages which are barely accessible, especially during the rainy season.

The bikes are invaluable

Karen visiting a patient

The patients identified as being especially in need of help are usually completely immobile and can’t function in their homes without assistance.

EMERGENCY FUND:

Little girl in a wheelchair

Angels has set up an emergency fund to pay the transport costs for severely disabled patients to be taken for treatment at other hospitals.

This little girl (right) was born with multiple disabilities As she grows, she will become too heavy for her mother to carry and the wheelchair is a boon for both of them.

MATERNITY UNIT:

Mums and babys

Sister Perpetual is very concerned that the facilities that they have in the maternity department are now insufficient for dealing with the increasing number of pregnant women. There are only 3 labour beds and 8 antenatal beds and yet regularly there are as many as 6 births in one night. Recently there were 11 in 24 hours! A new maternity unit will be needed for the future.

HIV/AIDS PREVENTION & PREVENTION OF MOTHER TO CHILD TRANSMISSION (PMTCT)

Educational Drama Team

The numbers of men and women coming for testing for HIV/AIDS continues to grow. On average the clinic sees 200 prospective patients per week. Those already on the programme are carefully monitored.

The Educational Drama team performed a play (see right) about the importance of nutrition for HIV infected patients and the necessity of taking anti retroviral drugs regularly as prescribed.

They also incorporated a strong message about the warning signs of malaria and its devastating consequences.

(Karen Roberts and Sr Perpetual , below, with mothers group attending a workshop on nutrition)

Workshop on nutrition

MTENDERE HOSPITAL PRIORITY LIST FOR 2012

• 1 NEW GENERATOR £20000
• 1 GFL WATER STILL FOR WATER DISTILLATION £1750
• COMMUNITY HEALTH EDUCATION PROGRAMMES £10000
• NEW MATERNITY UNIT £75000

Trustees visit to Malawi in March 2011. (Julia Cussins and Sarah Badel)

We arrived in Lilongwe and were met by Sr Margaret Nyirenda and her driver Mathias from Nkhamenya Community Hospital. Also by the new Sr in Charge of Mtendere Community Hospital, Sr Perpetual, together with her invaluable Clinical Officer, Joward Nsadzu. A very warm welcome from everyone. Then off we went with Sr Margaret to Nkhamenya and to catch up on all the news. NKHAMENYA COMMUNITY HOSPITAL
We were very pleased to see that the work was well under way repairing the male and female wards which were in a really bad state. (left) Also two private rooms have been completed and it is hoped that these will generate a small income for the hospital.
We saw the new blood count machine in the laboratory and that is in daily use and has become a vital piece of equipment for diagnosing all kinds of conditions. (right)
The new ultra sound machine has been ordered and should be delivered to the hospital shortly. There is new staff too. A young Human Resources Manager, Andrew Nyirenda, is currently engaged on completing a new data base for all hospital activities. He is extremely go ahead and wants to start an ¡§internet cafe¡¨ at Nkhamenya that people can pay to use and subsidize the cost of the internet for the hospital. He has given us the costs and we are looking into the possibility of raising funds for this project. Installation fee £1623 and 3 monthly costs = £350 per annum
We were able to present Sr Margaret with a cheque for £10,000 which she will use to pay off the hospital debt for drugs and with the remainder, she will purchase fresh supplies.
All mission hospitals struggle to pay for drugs because they get no help from the government and very few people in the catchment area can afford to pay for them or for any treatment they get.

(Angels trustees Sarah & Julia and NK hospital staff. Sr Margaret centre front)

Sr Margaret’s Priorities for 2011

• Drugs £6000
• Beds and mattresses £14,700
• Maternity Unit equipment : i.e. Vacuum extractors, Suction machines, Evacuation sets £2,500: Mosquito nets:£800
• 3 microscopes £7250 : 1 CD4 count machine (to monitor HIV patients) £4,450

MTENDERE COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

We had excellent discussions on all the projects with Sr Perpetual, the new Sr in Charge. (left with Julia) She is keen for all the programmes to continue. We saw one of our new water projects under construction at Mtendere. We met the contractors who are working hard. (below)
The borehole has been dug, the pump installed, a tower is being constructed and a 5000 litre tank has been purchased.
When completed, all the staff houses will at last have running water. At present, the hardworking Staff and their families have to carry water in buckets from some distance which is a time consuming and heavy task. The installation of the water will be a huge benefit to the community.

HOME BASED CARE (HBC, staffed by community volunteers)

We were delighted to be able to give the news that we have sponsorship for the year for the HBC Programme. This will enable the purchase of First Aid Kits, wheel chairs, plastic mattresses, mobile phones, bicycles, uniforms for volunteers, identity tags, and funding for two training programmes.
We met about 150 of the volunteers from the surrounding villages, (see left) together with a number of community chiefs. Sr Perpetual and Joward expressed their thanks.
Many of these volunteers had come long distances to meet with us and the turn out was extremely impressive.
Julia also addressed the gathering and everyone went away very pleased to know that Angels International is continuing to support them.
We made several trips to the outlying villages and saw a young boy, severely disabled, (left) in his new wheelchair. He is now at last able to go to school with his friends.
Also an elderly villager (right) who had suffered a stroke, can now be moved around by her relatives and friends. It has made an enormous difference to her quality of life.

HIV SUPPORT GROUP MICROLOAN PROJECT

We visited a group of HIV positive mothers who have been given a small microloan and who have set up a bakery project. They make the most delicious doughnuts (as we can testify as we all bought them) and they sell them very successfully to villagers on their way to and from work.
We also saw the distribution of supplementary foods to vulnerable children, a programme that we have been asked to continue supporting, especially at this time of year when food is so scarce. These are the children of HIV positive mothers but the excellent news is, that thanks to the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission scheme (PMTCT), none of these children have been infected. They just need nutritional support.

EDUCATIONAL DRAMA PROJECT

We saw the excellent volunteer actors perform an educational play on the dangers of not continuing education and being forced into a marriage when far too young. They played to a most responsive audience of schoolchildren who were very attentive. The children also appreciated all the amusing topical banter that had cleverly been added for their benefit, so they were highly entertained as well as informed.

LAUNDRY

The laundry is thriving. We stabilized and repaired a large water tank to increase the input and now there is plenty of water for everyone to use.
The patients families are making full use of their section of the laundry and said how much they appreciated having this facility, especially during the rainy season.
(Sarah left with mother and young helper)
We saw the autoclave which had just been delivered. (see right). It is ideal for hospital use. It will be invaluable for sterilizing hospital instruments and other articles so Sr Perpetual was really delighted with it.

UNDER 5 yrs PROGRAMME

We also attended a large clinic for Under 5′s. (left)
Children were measured and weighed to detect malnutrition, given vaccinations, medications etc.

Baby Frank ( right with CO Joward) was suffering badly from malnutrition last time we saw him. (he featured in our previous newsletter).

Now, having been monitored and supported on the nutrition programme, he is sturdy and has responded brilliantly to treatment.
He came toddling determinedly towards us to have his picture taken.

Sr Perpetual has given us her priority list.

• Malaria Programme for Pregnant Mothers and Children Under 5. This is a pilot project involving intensive monitoring of several villages in the district in addition to those in the general catchment area. It includes briefing of volunteers on early diagnosis of malaria, diagnosis of anaemia, constant monitoring by volunteers of vulnerable patients, purchasing of long-lasting insecticidal mosquito nets for distribution, educational Drama performances to demonstrate the use of simple protective measures that can save lives. (£10,650.00)
• Purchase of equipment for Safe Motherhood Programme i.e. Oxygen and resuscitation machine, suction pumps etc (£8,516.00)
• HIV Awareness and Treatment Campaign. To provide continuing support for these outreach projects (£9,500.00)
• Development of an Irrigation Project . To enable more crops to be grown at Mtendere , providing food for the community and enabling the surplus to be sold. The hospital badly needs the income. (£10,750.00)

Angels Trustees Karen Roberts and Julia Cussins returned from a visit to Malawi and reported on an extremely full itinerary at both hospitals. 

MTENDERE COMMUNITY HOSPITAL: Visiting HIV positive mothers in the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission Programme (PMTCT). 

This has been very successful. If the mother is HIV positive and at a suitable stage for treatment, she is put on a strict regime of Anti Retroviral Drugs (ARV’s) and given advice on health issues and nutrition. Many mothers join support groups where they can share their experiences and problems and this has done a great deal for morale. 

When the infants are born they are given the vital new drug Neviropene and the great news is that after 6 months, all the mothers and babies in the programme seem remarkably healthy and 100% of the babies tested prove HIV negative. However, in accordance with the ARV programme, breast feeding must stop when the baby is 6 months old. The problem of providing adequate nutrition for infants is acute. Artificial milk products are expensive. ANGELS has been asked to fund a Formula Food Supplement programme to purchase a mix of maize, soya bean and other nutrients to give the babies aged from 6 months to 2 yrs. 

Womens’ lives have been totally transformed by the ARVs. Many women are now strong enough to work to support their families. The hospital provides tools ,seeds & fertiliser & teaches them to create small village gardens, fenced and planted with nutritious crops. (see right) Much of their ground is sterile due to planting maize in the same patch every year. 

ANGELS want to help the hospital promote ante natal care for every pregnant woman in their catchment area and encourage post natal health through improved nutrition. 

ANGELS FUND BUSINESS MICRO LOANS 

Many HIV/positive families are now starting small businesses with the aid of a microloan. Some want to sell second hand clothes, fish, surplus vegetables, brew and sell beer, even start a  small bakery and sell bread. (see left) 

This is our newest initiative to promote self help. ANGELS aim is to increase the number of loans we can provide. 

HOME BASED CARE PROGRAMME (HBC) 

HBC relies on local villagers who volunteer to help their own communities. 

At present 120 volunteers have a very basic training from the hospital and generally provide first aid and moral support to families with acute social and medical problems. These range from stroke victims to severely disabled children and some cases of leprosy. 

(11 yr old Laston Lyton with cerebral palsy, right)  The volunteers help by cleaning the houses, toileting and washing immobile patients, dressing sores, giving painkillers, iron tablets for anaemia. They also monitor HIV patients and check that they are taking their vital medication. They report on any infant who looks malnourished, has malaria like symptoms or seems in need of hospital attention. 

(Karen & malnourished baby Frank, left 

The volunteers expressed great concern that disabled patients have nothing. There are no wheelchairs, bedding, crutches etc in the community. The volunteers are dedicated groups who, with very little, are making a considerable difference to people who would be extremely isolated and neglected without their visits. 

(nurse Annie Mwanza  & paralysed 18 year old boy right,) 

Most importantly, they also liaise with the hospital and report on all the cases they monitor. All the families told Julia and Karen moving stories of how the local volunteers had made their lives more bearable. 

(2 women awaiting medical checks in their home, left) 

ANGELS want to expand this programme. With additional training and equipment we hope to motivate the volunteers to achieve even more in their communities. 

TRANSPORT is a huge problem. Bicycles are urgently needed for volunteers to access the villages. Volunteers often walk for several hours to visit one patient. 

ANGELS aim to provide at least 50 bicycles divided between 10 volunteer groups These are £50 each. 

MTENDERE DRAMA GROUPS: 

Drama is the most efficient way to educate remote communities. Excellent and committed as ever, the groups perform new plays about HIV/AIDS and TB. They do it to change the mind set and behaviour of the community and to reduce HIV transmission. They asked Angels for more training and plan to extend their repertoire to include plays about the dangers of malaria, especially in children under 5 years, recognition of its symptoms and the importance of rapid admission to hospital. Also to demonstrate the use of mosquito nets. Other subjects they want to explore are reproductive health issues and prevention of the onset of pneumonia. 

ANGELS want to continue to support the Dramas , especially focussing on malaria prevention. 

(A ’policeman, volunteer and a priest’ above, actors in a play about the stigma of HIV) 

MTENDERE YOUTH GROUPS 

A new initiative for young people to encourage group gardening; plots of ‘mustard’ (a spinach like, iron rich plant) ,sweet potatoes and rice are grown and a greater variety of vegetables are being introduced. (Julia, Sr Florence, Joward Nsadzu (CO) & youth group, right) These are sold to fund school attendance. All have to provide their own uniforms, pens etc and cannot afford to pay. Hence the high drop out rate. Older members volunteer to teach the younger ones and they now want to form football and netball clubs and they were all keen to learn new skills such as farming but lacked the tools. 

ANGELS intend to continue to support these groups by providing farming tools and sports equipment. 

NKHAMENYA COMMUNITY HOSPITAL: 

The long awaited operating facility is due to open shortly. Electricity problems have been solved and Angels International supplied £10,000 to buy extra equipment that had been requested by the incoming doctor, Dr Addo. 

A visit to a local primary school where some of the HIV orphans (with Karen, left) were proudly wearing their new uniforms. Once again a large quantity were generously donated by Jane Howden. 

DR SAFARI ADDO 

Dr Addo and his wife have arrived from the Congo and are happily settled in at Nkhamenya. He has undergone compulsory intensive orientation in a District Hospital and is eager to start work in the new operating theatre. He is the first resident doctor/surgeon that Nkhamenya has had for many years. The training of the theatre nurses is now complete. (Dr Addo, right ) 

The new Clinical Officers (C.O.s) Mr and Mrs Mtemang’ombe have also moved in. 

Mr Mtemang’ombe will have 1 year’s extra training in anaesthesia in Malawi College of Sciences in Blantyre. Meanwhile an experienced anaesthetist from Kasungu District Hospital will attend the first operations when the theatre work begins. 

ANGELS want to provide an ultra sound machine, (Dr Addo is fully qualified to use it and to train others) a blood count machine and fund 1 year’s training for the anaesthetist. 

( The two C.O.s and Sr Margaret Nyirenda, left) 

WARD RENOVATIONS 

Sr Margaret showed Julia and Karen the appalling state of the ceilings in the men’s and women’s wards. (see right) Complete renovation is needed in both. The patients really suffer great discomfort during the rainy season. The upgrading of these wards is an absolute priority 

ANGELS aim to fund the repair this year.

Our colleague from Mogilev, Dr Nikolai Burakowsky and his head nurse were sponsored by Angels to attend an 

International Conference on Paediatric Infections at the annual ECCMID forum in Vienna. Subject of special interest was information on the H1N1 influenza pandemic which caused serious mortality rates in Belarus. He obtained slides and CDs of the various topics which he says will be a splendid educational tool for his department in Belarus.

NEWS from MALAWI

Angels Trustees Sarah Badel and Karen Roberts visited the projects at Mtendere and Nkhamenya.

MTENDERE COMMUNITY HOSPITAL
We saw  the new laundry, now finished and  in daily use.

Linen storage and ironing block

Storage cupboards for all the hospital linen have been put in  as well as a large ironing block.  There are indoor drying spaces for use during  the rainy season. We have six large sinks and the main space is light and airy.

There’s a good storage area as well as a room for an industrial sized autoclave  for sterilizing linen and instruments etc.  We hope to purchase this in 2010 if funds are available.

There is also a smaller laundry area for the guardians  (patients’ families and carers)  to use for their own and the patients’ personal washing.                                                                                                                      

ward attendant hard at work

Its  such a good solid building , with running water, electricity and  security at night , that Sr Florence says the guardians will probably sleep in it, especially when the rains come. If our building can serve two purposes, so much the better.

 The laundry is already making a tremendous difference to the standard of cleanliness in the wards ,  the cross infection rate is down and everyone is delighted with it.

   ANGELS INTERNATIONAL HIV/AIDS Education Programme.

DRAMA
We saw some excellent Drama performances . They are vignettes showing cultural practises and behavioural changes that need to be changed if the fight against HIV/AIDS  is to be won.

"TB sufferer, shunned by the community until he agrees to go to hospital for testing

This time the plays concentrated on the prevalence of TB in infected people and pressed home the message that its essential to come to the outreach clinics and hospital for testing.

The “actors”  are all dedicated volunteers .

All have received specific training in the HIV/AIDS Education programme

The message that they convey packs a powerful punch and everything they do is

approved by the hospital.

young girl and her would be "seducer"

There’s a lot of emphasis on education, especially for girls.

Traditional Healers are not encouraged and the main message is:

GO TO THE CLINIC AND GET THE HELP YOU NEED.

A family argument about HIV

Three child actors

We saw some wonderful child actors too who got a great round of well deserved applause.

Although the underlying message is so serious, there is plenty of comedy and the audiences  are entertained as well as informed.

Another reason why these plays are so effective in educating the communities is:

The adult literacy rate is poor in Malawi. Approx 70% of men have reading

ability.

 Only 54% of women. Hence the emphasis on female education.

an appreciative audience

Infidelity

 The message, serial infidelity is highly dangerous for everyone and an open invitation to contracting HIV/AIDS, is uncompromisingly stressed in all the plays.

a husband chastised for not taking his medication for HIV/AIDS

Local chiefs attending a play

Local chiefs are a very important element in persuading people to come  to the plays and they work closely with Mtendere Hospital

The atmosphere is friendly and it is really moving to see so many people, young boys included, bravely queueing up after  the performance to be tested. They know the results in 15 minutes.

Awaiting the result

We were really impressed when one of the local chiefs  stood up to give his thanks at the end of the play.   He was telling the community  that he himself was HIV positive, that the medication the hospital was giving was a great help to him,  and he urged people  to go for the crucial test and not to be afraid.

This is a great change from the  public mood eighteen months ago when people (especially the men) were either in denial and not going for testing, or going anonymously, being issed with a number, never a name.

HIV Outreach Clinic

Now, all those attending the clinics have a document with their name and photo and chat openly to each other. There is a feeling of hope and no discrimination and thats a great step forward.

PREVENTION OF MOTHER TO CHILD TRANSMISSION PROGRAMME  (PMTCT)

Victoria, at the hospital centre  runs a workshop with HIV positive mothers who have all been on the vital PMTCT programme. The babies are breast fed for 6 months and those mums who cannot breast feed are given a special powdered milk for their infants. This, however, is extremely costly. Often a mother who is positive gives her baby to someone else to feed thinking she is protecting the child.

HIV positive mothers & babies who are free of the infection

Or she gives it cow or goat’s milk. It is  counter productive because the baby then doesn’t get the benefit of imbibing the drugs the mother is on which build up its immune system.

The mothers are then trained how to keep themselves and the baby healthy after the 6 month period and to improve their diet and nutrition. The good news is that a remarkably low per centage of babies,  when tested after 6 months, are positive and this has encouraged everyone.

NEW AMBULANCE

Great excitement. We have received a wonderful donation from the Travers Cox Charitable Foundation:  a new ambulance.

Toyota ambulance donated by the Travers Cox Charitable Foundation

This has simply revolutionized the work of the hospital which only had one vehicle to take staff to the many  outreach clinics and also to run patients  to the District hospital at Dedza, sometimes two or three times a day when blood transfusions etc are needed.

�                                                                                              �
NKHAMENYA COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

OPERATING THEATRE
Sr Margaret Nyirenda  showed us the newly completed  operating theatre . We have done all the tiling, plumbing, electrical installations, replacement of doors, furnishing of offices, supplied airconditioning etc to the specifications of the medical authorities.

Main operating theatre with new equipment

It looked wonderful and already has a lot of equipment donated some time ago by a Dutch charity.  At last it can be put to use.
A doctor will be coming from the Congo to take up his post soon after Christmas. A Clinical Officer also is expected to join them.  He will do surgical procedures such as Caesarian sections. An anaesthetist is  due to go to the District Hospital in Mzuzu for further training to enable him to use the new equipment.

Sr Margaret and team

We will need to raise funds next year to purchase a list of surgical equipment that is still needed.

A brand new Out Patients Department has just been built by another charity  and this will house a dental unit and pharmacy.

We were thrilled to give Sr Margaret the news that one of our supporters has funded a new ambulance for her and it has come just at the right time, coinciding with the opening of the new operating theatre.

Angels International was presented with a beautiful painting of the theatre done by a local artist. Sr Margaret said ” You have changed Nkhamenya and made things possible here that we could never have imagined”.

Trustee Karen Roberts and Sr Margaret Nyirenda

Our grateful thanks to everyone  who has given us such wonderful support this year. Our regular donors have been most generous.
We would like to make special mention of John Holley.  John spent part of his gap year at Nkhamenya, working on refurbishing the school. He continued on his travels and did a sponsored rickshaw ride accross India.  He raised a magnificent £1,500 for the hospital. WELL DONE JOHN!

New operating theatre Nkhamenya

 NKHAMENYA COMMUNITY HOSPITAL: Sister in Charge,  Sr Margaret Nyirenda

Good News.

We have finished  the operating theatre, tiling it and installing the plumbing,

air-conditioning, and electrical work to the specification of the authorities

and it has now been inspected and is ready for use. We also purchased a

new autoclave for the sterilization of surgical instruments.

  Hospital Manager Peter Zgambo, the new autoclave and Sr Margaret Nyirenda

  We had the ceilings of the maternity and paediatric ward completely renovated  as they were decaying and rain came through  in the wet season .

Collapsing ceiling in the maternity ward

Newly refurbished maternity ward with new beds

We also supplied a large quantity of drugs for the mothers  and babies. Our thanks to The Toy Trust and  the Schroder  Charity Trust for some new  beds and mattresses for the ward as many of those were in really poor condition.

 MTENDERE HEALTH CENTRE: 

Sister in Charge, Sr Florence Kankota.

 We have completed the building of a laundry for the hospital .One section will be used by the hospital staff and has a storage area for linen and an ironing table. 

old stone sink in the open air,used by hospital staff, patients & carers

There’s a separate washing  area for the relatives who care for the patients.

New laundry for hospital and patients carers

There are proper indoor and exterior drying facilities for  everyone so bedding and clothes can dry properly in the rainy season.

Six sinks in the hospital section with linen storage & ironing table

We funded an HIV/ AIDS Education and Support programme. This worked in combination with the completion of a new  Counseling and Treatment Centre and now many people can  come to the hospital and outreach clinics for testing and monitoring.

HIV positive Mothers & children being tested and monitored at an Mtendere outreach clinic

The Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission programme has been really successful with the distribution of the new drug , neviropene. These developments  also meant that the hospital has now been upgraded from a  Health Centre to  a Community Hospital which is excellent news all round.

Sr Florence Kankota supervising the HIV/AIDS education programme

NEWS FROM THE MARIST BROTHERS AT MTENDERE

BROTHER JOHN KATUMBI’S VILLAGE PROJECT:

 The schoolhouse at Rhumpi

 Our charity was given a marvellous donation for Brother John’s project,  the building of  a four classroom school block and community centre in Rhumpi, North Malawi. He writes:

 “I am just from the village – went to arrange for the purchasing of 100  packets of cement, this is done and the work is progressing well,  at least by 28th Sept., roofing, flooring and plastering should be completed. People are very happy with your continued assistance and there is a beautiful  building structure that is coming up.

Celebrations at Rhumpi schoolhouse

It is interesting that many now are inspired by the project for instance one of the business men has offered his  tractor to ferry building stones, an aspiring MP has offered his truck to ferry  sand and today we used another businessman at the District to and fetch cement from Mzuzu.

 Thank you so much the project is changing many people’s lives.”

Br John was also delighted to receive  a  donation of sports clothes and equipment for the boys and girls. 

Football team in action

 A big “thank you”  to Jane Howden for this.

The girls netball team

The boys football team

 NEWS FROM BELARUS:

 As our supporters will know, Angels International worked for many years with hospitals in Belarus. Although we are now focussed on our  projects in Malawi, we are keeping a small reserve fund  so that we can continue to support the occasional training programme  and replace equipment where possible, if our Belorussian friends need our help.

We had an SOS  from our old colleagues in Mogilev Hospital for some spare parts for surgical equipment that we had supplied a few years ago and we were happy to oblige. Everything,  we are assured ,  is working well. Also, we sponsored   Dr Nikolai Burakowsky,  head of the Paediatric Infectious diseases ward and a colleague Dr Tamara Burak, to attend an ECCMID  (European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases) in Helsinki.

Dr Nikolai (centre) at pharmaceutical exhibition, Helsinki.

There was an exhibition of drugs and the newest equipment for the treatment of paediatric infection and  lectures on the treatment of swine flu. ( Dr Nikolai is responsible for that subject in his district in Belarus.)  He met with doctors from Germany, Israel,  Moscow and Ekaterinburg and found the lectures  and the interaction with other physicians really  stimulating.  He is now preparing  to give a lecture on his findings  at a symposium to be held in Minsk and has invited several of the doctors met in Finland, to attend.

DEVELOPMENT, ACTIVITIES, ACHIEVEMENTS

This year marks the first phase in a three year project to support two rural mission hospitals in Malawi. Conditions are extremely basic and there is a desperate shortage of qualified medical personnel. We have been working closely with our new partners,  Sister Margaret Nyirenda,  Sister in Charge of Nkhamenya Community Hospital in Kasungu and Sister Florence Kankota, Sister in Charge of Mtendere Health Centre in Dedza.

Both have very clear priorities and have drawn up highly practical programmes that will greatly improve the quality of care that they can give to their patients. The charity has managed to meet the target for both hospitals in the current year.

NKHAMENYA COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

Sister Margaret (far right) & nursing sisters

Sister Margaret requested funding for the completion of an operating facility  that had been built by the BEIT TRUST a few years ago. The building itself was finished but the interior work was incomplete.  Angels International  funded the carpentry, tiling, plumbing and electrical work that remained to be done and also the air conditioning in the operating room and recovery ward. There is already an excellent supply of donated surgical equipment waiting to be used.

Through the completion of this facility, the hospital will now have a new status and Sister Margaret is determined that next year, it will be possible at last for basic life saving obstetric surgery to be performed there by specially trained Clinical Officers  as is common practice in Malawi.

We also funded the construction of a small premature baby room for 4 mothers and babies, attached to but separate from the maternity ward.

The ceilings in the maternity and paediatric wards were in a dire condition and  Angels also paid for the renovation of both.

ceiling in ward

reconstruction underway

We purchased an autoclave for sterilizing surgical instruments and we provided 6  months supply of drugs for the mothers and babies, catering for the common illnesses such as diarrhoea, malaria, pneumonia and anaemia.

Mission hospitals do not get an automatic supply of these drugs from the government and so this donation was vital, especially with the approach of the rainy season when such infections are prolific.

MTENDERE HEALTH CENTRE

Sister  Florence badly needed a new diesel  generator to ensure a constant  water and electricity supply during the all too frequent power cuts. This is now in place and functioning.

Trustee Julia Cussins, Sr Florence , advisor Gerald Pidgeon & new generator

Sister Florence’s second major problem was the lack of any hospital laundry facility. There was just one stone sink out in the open air used by patients’ families and hospital staff alike. With the help of The Marist Missionary brothers in Mtendere , we have found an excellent builder who has presented a very fair estimate for the construction of a basic laundry with separate washing areas for staff and patients’ carers, and with indoor drying areas which are essential   for use in the rainy season. This estimate has been accepted and the laundry is already well underway.

 It will provide a linen storage facility with lockers for each ward together with a large ironing table and  space to install an autoclave for sterilizing surgical instruments. We aim to complete this building in spring 2009. This new laundry will do much to eliminate cross contamination in the wards and make conditions far more hygienic and comfortable for everyone.

The laundry

We also provided a large quantity of basic drugs for the mothers and children similar to the list at Nkhamenya. We purchased two motorbikes for medical staff in the outreach clinics. In 2009 we hope to fund the purchase of a second ambulance which is most urgently needed in order to access patients at outreach clinics in the villages as well as on a daily basis taking serious cases to the main hospital in Dedza.

Sr Florence, Trustee Sarah Badel and Julia Cussins discussing plans for the laundry

Sister Florence also requested support for an HIV/AIDS education and drug distribution programme. We provided funds for the training of 200 health workers and volunteers to inform the surrounding communities of approximately 110 villages , of the vital need to be tested and treated for HIV. Those who are positive are closely monitored and treated for opportunistic infections such as TB  etc.

MTENDERE NUTRITION PROGRAMME

HIV/AIDS education Drama performance

The World Health Organization is supplying the Health Authorities in Malawi with freely available Anti Retroviral drugs . These can very effectively prolong the lives of HIV/AIDS sufferers.  They include the new drug, neviropene that can prevent a new born baby from inheriting the HIV infection from an HIV positive mother, providing the treatment is given in time. Angels funded this education programme and already we are assured that great numbers of people  particularly the mothers and babies, are benefiting from it.

HIV/AIDS education programme with Sr Florence, (front left) and community leaders

An HIV/ Nutrition Support programme has just begun at Mtendere. HIV positive patients are issued with nourishing food supplements and are encouraged to grow more substantial foods to boost their immune systems.

In the future we hope to sponsor a new agricultural programme including the distribution of seed packets and teaching new agricultural techniques by the hospital’s resident gardeners.

Trustee Julia Cussins (right) distributing the nutritious food pack for HIV/AIDS pateints.

KATUMBA VILLAGE PROJECT

Angels International received a most generous donation from a private benefactor in support of Marist Brother John Katumbi’s Village school project in Rumphi, north Malawi. We have been working in partnership with Brother John and our mentors, John and Charlotte Hutchinson who introduced us to him. The building of a primary school has made very steady progress, despite rising costs and shortage of cement supplies. Eight classrooms are nearing completion and a communal hall will be a great asset to the village community.  It is hoped  that the complex will open in Spring 2009.

Stephen Cox of "Scottish International Relief" and Trustee Karen Roberts

We received a wonderful donation of thirty five reconditioned sewing machines, some knitting machines, motor repair and welding kits from the British charity “Tools with a Mission”. We also had a splendid donation of a large quantity of brand new sportswear for girls and boys of all ages. We delivered these to “Scottish International Relief” in Glasgow and are most grateful to Stephen Cox for agreeing to organize space for all these items in their next consignment of aid  to Malawi. They will be distributed to Brother John’s community shortly after Christmas

BELARUS

The charity’s commitment to providing medical aid to Belarus has, as previously stated, come to an end. However the trustees still wish to retain some funds to sponsor the occasional medical conference or training programme  for our Belorussian colleagues if they request it.  This year Dr Nikolai Burakowsky, (Head of the Paediatric Infectious Diseases Ward at Khimvolokno Hospital in Mogilev) together with a colleague, attended a highly beneficial conference for Paediatric Infectious Diseases in Barcelona. We were very pleased to sponsor this visit and have also funded a similar opportunity for the two doctors to attend a conference in Finland next year.

Scotland – Malawi Partnership

We are now members of Scotland – Malawi Partnership, an independent Charitable Membership organization that fosters links between Malawi and Scottish NGOs encouraging the development of sustainable projects. It fosters best practise in member organizations and enables the provision of training, sharing of ideas, processes and information. It works with national governments, local authorities, other NGOs and voluntary orgs to benefit its members in their Malawian activities.

As always we are most grateful to our regular donors for their generosity and support.

In 2008 the trustees have once again worked with no professional help in the office thereby keeping our costs to a minimum.