Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

This page is linked to the UK based charity that raises funds for St Francis Hospital, Katete, Zambia (www.saintfrancishospital.net) where Geoff and I will be working for 6 months from August this year.

The hospital is located in a very rural area almost a day by bus from Lusaka. The hospital serves the local district, Katete, which has a population of 220,000. It is also a second level referral hospital for the Eastern Province, total population of 1.2 million, in conjunction with Chipata Hospital (Government run). The area is about the size of mainland Scotland. The hospital is funded significantly through charitable donations (like yours would be). Shortages of skilled doctors & nurses, as well as drugs and instruments are an everyday reality here. Anything that you can offer will be gratefully received and you can be assured it will go directly the the hospital - there are no administration charges. I have set the target at the cost of fully funding one bed in the hospital for one year (£1,500) - drugs, operations and food for the patients - and the purchase of 5 oximeters (£160 ea), which the hospital needs urgently. Oximeters are used to measure the oxygen levels in the blood of sedated patients - both during operations and in intensive care  - and they are a key patient safety tool. The WHO says that no operations should be undertaken without one.

There are other items that the hospital needs including oxygen concentrators, suction machines, bedside haemoglobin monitors and funding for HIV drugs - if you feel particularly strongly that you would like your donation channelled into one of these areas instead, then please just let us know!

Thank you very much for helping to support this valuable resource. I will apply for matched funding from PwC to maximise your impact!

Charlotte and Geoff

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Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.