Malawi: Rural Lakeside Healthcare
Rural healthcare crisis
People in lakeside communities in northern Malawi are among the poorest in the world. 80% of people in this area live on less than a dollar a day. For those who are sick and living in extreme poverty there is little-to-no access to quality healthcare.
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Health clinics are in disrepair, there is a chronic shortage of trained healthcare workers and what care is available is beyond the reach of many because it is simply too far and too expensive to travel. Nyanja, meaning ‘Lake’, is a project that has a goal of bringing quality healthcare to those who need it most.
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Strengthening healthcare systems
This goal will and has been achieved through many different life-changing projects. Three ambulances were provided to improve access to hospital for patients living in lakeside villages in 3 north west Lake Malawi districts: Karonga, Rumphi and Nkhata Bay. The ambulance on Lake Malawi has reduced travel time for emergency patients from 3 hours to 30 minutes.
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Another goal is to renovate four health centres and a health post which are in poor condition: some, for example, have no running water and most need additional equipment. This project is also supporting the training of 21 women from lakeside villages to become healthcare staff and return to their villages to improve clinic staffing levels. These measures will improve health facilities for 50,000 people and access for 200,000. This will have a huge impact on people who are striving to lift themselves out of poverty.
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Please consider supporting us in projects just like this one to bring healthcare to people in hard-to-reach areas.
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