Progress
Much of the work was accomplished before the Trust was officially formed. The whole building was cleaned renovated and painted. This involved replacement of a large number of metal doors and windows. The sewage system had to be emptied, cleaned and much of the plumbing restored.
Excellent Staff...
Excellent staff were appointed and the Centre was ready to open in January 2005!
A Truck and Latrines...
Since the formation of the Trust there has been further progress. A truck donated by Shyira Hospital has been modified to serve as an ambulance when not transporting 800 litres of clean water to the Centre daily. The first of a series of latrines have been constructed as backup to the water-born system, and an incinerator has been built to deal with clinical waste. During the first six months of activity the staff had to live in rooms in the centre but now they have their own staff home.
Building Work...
A security fence has been built around most of the compound, increasing the safety of both staff and patients.
We have built a toilet and washroom block for the nurses (here seen half finished).
The maternity has been equipped with a new delivery couch, thanks to a specific gift from a kind donor.
THE MAJOR PROBLEM - Water
The only supply we have is a tap outside the centre bringing dirty and infected water. A new supply has been constructed by a major donor, but the source has dried up. Large numbers of people come to collect the dirty water, which is only intermittent at the best of times. Arguments and fights break out from time to time and leaking taps together with the cows contribute to an unhealthy quagmire, from which many are forced to draw. We have improved the situation by constructing a water station with special taps and cows are now prohibited by law.
There is still much to be done, we could improve the present supply by building other stations further up the line, thus controlling wastage. We could construct slow sand filters to clean the supply, build tanks for rainwater harvesting and help people to construct their own water tanks. There are other possibilities, including a full survey of the whole valley. This would be very expensive, but if new supplies are found, would be beneficial to thousands of people in the area. We already have a small fund dedicated to improving the water situation but need more to improve it effectually.
