After our March appeal to help fund and support the Mumbeji community clinic with vital, basic equipment and a building and hospital beds your response and generosity were truly overwhelming.

We have two doctors from the UK who are over seeing the project and who are in close contact with the medical staff at the clinic. If you remember the clinic is in desperate need of so much equipment that we , with our wonderful NHS, take for granted. There are no working Stethoscopes, blood pressure machines, diagnostic equipment, there is no bedding, in fact the few beds in the clinic lacked even basic mattresses and springs. The photos that we took in February really moved lots of us and thanks to your generosity we have been able to start moving things forward.

The first stage has been to pay for and supply the building materials to build a mother’s shelter. This is vital. The heavily pregnant mothers come in from the rural villages and bush to give birth. Some have to walk for several days to get there and are often early to ensure that they can give birth in the clinic. We have watched as mothers in labour sleep on the path outside the clinic because there is nowhere for them to stay. As a mother myself this upset me so much. It seemed to me a basic human right to have somewhere safe to stay to give birth.

We are thrilled to be able to share these photos with you. Some of your money has been used to build a Mothers shelter for the mothers to stay in before they give birth. This ensures they are safe and ready to go into the clinic when the time arrives. It means they can be checked and looked after.

The next stage is to source and order hospital beds and medical equipment. I hope to have news of that soon but these things don’t happen quickly in Zambia as communication is limited and Lusaka is far away.

Thank you you so much to you all, to everyone who has donated money for the clinic. Your money is being well used and every penny is making a difference.