Story
Thanks for visiting my page! Please read below to find out more about the project and why I'm fundraising for Malaria Consortium. Any donations would be greatly appreciated and let me know if you have any questions or want to get involved!
- Tim
In eastern Uganda, rural community health workers have to travel many miles every day, walking from village to village and household to household to treat sick residents and educate communities on how to protect themselves against malaria.
Malaria still accounts for over 400,000 deaths worldwide per year, despite being a completely treatable and preventable disease. This is equivalent to 40 times the total death toll of the Ebola crisis, except it is every year. The disease is particularly devastating to children and pregnant women, who are especially vulnerable. In fact, in 2015, 70% of malaria deaths were children under five years old – many of whom could have been saved if they’d had access to prompt health services.
In the Eastern Ugandan district of Tororo, specifically in Iyolwa subcounty, Malaria Consortium recruited 215 community health workers. These health workers struggle to reach some of the most remote homes, leaving households without access to essential services, in particular services that could save a child or pregnant mother’s life.
This is where we need your help.
With your donation, we will provide community health workers with bicycles that will double or triple the distance they can cover in a day and will allow them to reach more of those who most need their support.
There are currently 215 community health workers in Iyolwa, who walk long hours every working day to visit one or two homes in their area, each reaching approximately 470 homes every year.
Our target of £10,000 will provide each of them with a bicycle, which means they can reach three or four more households. Over a year, this means each community health worker can make up to 1,170 more visits than previously. Collectively, all 215 could make as many as 350,000 more health visits to those in need.
A bicycle is a highly effective long-term investment: just £46.50 can provide a community health worker with a bicycle that will allow him or her to save many more lives..