Last Updated on: 22nd November 2023, 12:12 am
EMMS International, Scotland’s oldest healthcare charity, has announced a donation of £1.3 million to the Mulanje Mission Hospital in Malawi. The announcement came as its Medical Director, Dr. Arie Glas, visited Edinburgh to commemorate the decades-long partnership.
This donation will support the hospital in its efforts to slow the spread of tuberculosis with faster diagnoses, offer clean water to reduce cholera transmission, reach families in rural areas to offer palliative care and cut teenage pregnancies in the community.
Dr. Arie Glas and Dr. Lisanne Glas spoke to the West Lothian congregation of Boghall Parish Church at an event on the 25th September. Dr. Arie Glas said: “Malawi is one of the most densely populated African nations, and its population is predicted to 42 million by 2050. Our youth team focuses on the vital prevention of teenage pregnancy, prevention of HIV/AIDS and the development of essential life skills among youth, working closely with local churches, schools and other supportive groups.”
The partnership between EMMS International and the Mulanje Mission Hospital dates back to the late 1800s. Since then, the charity has supported the hospital with solar power upgrades and more recently, a £280,000 project to renovate 5 rural health centres and provide clean water and sanitation, as well as 4 ambulances.
Dr. Cathy Ratcliff, EMMS International’s CEO and Director of International Programmes, said: “We are proud to have started palliative care in each of Malawi’s 28 districts, which has raised Malawi’s integration of palliative care to its health service to be on a par with the UK’s. Having quality care at or close to home stops families having to choose between healthcare for their loved ones and education for the next generation.”
The charity is also working to promote women’s and girls’ rights. They have provided £61,000 of funding to the Mulanje Mission Hospital, allowing them to work with village chiefs, faith leaders and families to speak out against harmful cultural practices that lead to early pregnancies and to provide safe spaces for young people to access health services and information on sexual health.
In all its work, EMMS International is committed to improving access to healthcare for people living in poverty and has provided more than £100,000 to improve training in palliative care in Malawi.
Today, EMMS International has announced a donation of £1.3 million to the Mulanje Mission Hospital in Malawi, in recognition of the decades-long partnership. This donation will support the hospital in its efforts to improve access to healthcare and promote women’s and girls’ rights. Those who wish to support the charity’s work can make a donation here: https://www.emms.org/donate.
