2021 Fundraising
September 8th, 2021
Tumaini Medical Centre
Our overseas charity we are supporting is the Tumaini Medical Centre. It is a health project built on the family land in rural Kenya of former staff member John Itumu.
The Rwika rural community and its environs has a growing number of health needs varying from acute emergency cases to chronic diseases. These include respiratory infections, drug addictions and the need to cater for a rapidly increasing elderly population that suffer from chronic conditions such as arthritis and diabetes.
To manage these needs in a local context therefore minimising the need to travel long distances for affordable health care, Tumaini Health Centre will offer the following services initially:
- Same day walk-in consultation by a clinical officer (physician assistant) assisted by a nurse
- Efficient diagnostic blood and urine tests
- Mental health counselling services
- Long term management of chronic conditions
- Local and overseas volunteering opportunities
In the future Tumaini Health Centre will be a 24-hour facility with the added provision of a chapel for spiritual care. In addition, the centre will offer opportunity for both local and international medical electives.
First Step Trust (FST)
Our local charity who do great work helping people into work who have a history of mental health problems, or who have been in the criminal justice system or have learning disability. They believe that work is a great way to develop as a human being and for most people it is a source of self worth and self confidence especially when society thinks you aren’t up to much. They are very successful at training people and enabling people to learn various skills through their fish and chip shop in Clapham and at their 2 garages in Streatham and Woolwich.
More recently they have got more into research into novel ways to help train people including using Virtual Reality where people who are still in prison or who have severe anxiety can experience the workshop and do tasks as if they are there in person. They realise that it’s not as environmentally friendly as we might like but recognise the reality that for a lot of people with no qualifications or work experience a driving licence is a ticket to an entry level job (delivery etc). They have helped a young woman to become a driving instructor and set up her own social enterprise within the FST auspices. They will promote this through their networks and channel people coming to them through this route to learn to drive.