Help Run Ambulance, Upgrade Clinic and Save Lives!

Jjanda Medical Centre Report November 2024

 Amazing changes in four years!

The GlobalGiving project leaders and sponsor parents recently revisited the project after a 41/2-year absence having literally had to flee the country due to the outbreak of the Corona Pandemic in March 2020. They were amazed how many changes have been made to Jjanda Medical Centre (JMC) despite nearly 2 years of lockdown the staff certainly haven’t stood still.

Improved Access!

The road from Namugongo to the clinic and project which has been a dirt track full of potholes and very dangerous in the rainy season, has been tarmacked! The journey now takes an incredible 4-5 minutes whereas it could have taken 15-20 in bad conditions! This road also joins up with the Nsasa road which has also been tarmacked meaning that JMC is easily accessible from both sides and the journey into Kampala is much easier, quicker and safer. This is not only good for the local residents and staff but also a boost to the clinic making its facilities more amenable and it’s enhancing its appeal to the wider community.

There is a marked increase in the volume of traffic using the road with far more public and private transport and Boda bodas, (motorbike taxis). The number of patients using the clinic is increasing and when the new entrance is completed we expect that this will further increase.

What a great facelift and curb appeal!

The reconstruction of the entrance is nearing completion and should be finished by the end of November. The entrance has been transformed! There is a new car park solely for the clinic with the Ambulance Bay. This redesigned entrance will be a great improvement as it has wheelchair and stretcher access. A new outside seating and waiting area where mobile clinics etc can be held should be completed by the beginning of next year. JMC has had a complete facelift inside and out with all the exterior and interior walls being painted. The visitors’ toilets have been renewed and the reception area has been refurbished.

The Ambulance

The Emergency Ambulanceis being used regularly. When it is used it is literally a matter of life or death! There is a Doctor or a nurse and a driver available 24/7. All the nurses and midwives have been trained in emergency medicine so that they can accompany the patients. Other clinics in the neighbourhood are also using it and thus benefitting more patients in the community. JMC nurses accompany these patients thus having the responsibility for all the equipment in the ambulance.

Here are two examples of how it has been used:

A 37-year-old male Boda boda driver was brought to the clinic after a serious road traffic accident. He was badly hurt with a severe head injury, unconscious, his face was very swollen, and he was bleeding from his nose and mouth. He was whisked to the main trauma centre at Mulago Hospital in Kampala where he underwent brain surgery the next day. Thanks to the Ambulance and expert care from our staff he has survived and made a fully recovery! The outcome could have been much worse…

A mother was in prolonged labour and the unborn baby was showing signs of fetal distress. They were taken to the nearest Emergency Midwifery centre where the baby was safely born a few minutes later. Both the mother and baby recovered without detrimental effects.

Visit from 3 Dutch children’s nurses bearing valuable donations.

Our thanks go to the staff from the SCBU and Midwifery department at OLVG Hospital in Amsterdam for their very generous donations of a Fetal Doppler, suction machine and resuscitation doll. This doppler is used to hear and register the heart rate of an unborn baby and can therefore detect fetal distress as mentioned above.  The resuscitation doll will be used for resuscitation training. The 3 visitors gave a clinical lesson during their visit and they also met a paediatrician from Mulago hospital who is officially linked to JCM. See photographs below.

Our thanks go also to Omrom Health Care Netherlands for their very kind donation of 2 nebulisers and 2 blood pressure monitors that were received by the clinical Officer and Doctor. See photographs below.

If you have been touched by the stories you can help too..

Every donation is welcome! Kinderhulp Afrika, who run the JMC Clinic and the schools at, Children’s Welfare Mission, see www.globalgiving.org/42553,  rely entirely on donations and we are so grateful for all the support we receive.

Would you like to help invest in the Jjanda Medical Centre? It's possible! Make a one-time donation or become a friend! As a friend you support Kinderhulp Afrika for a fixed amount per month and you help where necessary. See donation options below.

https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/help-buy-ambulance-and-upgrade-clinic-and-save-lives/ 

Help us spread the word: share this post with your family and friends to let them know that BIG change can come from little acts of kindness! 

Give alittle extra lifesaving support on Giving Tuesday 3^rd December 2024.

Giving Tuesday is a yearly international day for charitable giving that follows Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This year GlobalGiving (GG) is offering a $750,000 Incentive Fund that will be distributed to all projects proportionally based on final fundraising totals. Therefore, the more funds we can raise during the 24-hour campaign the more ‘prize’ money we will earn!

Help us to Give a little extra lifesaving supportto our patients and our wonderful staff. We would be so grateful if you could help us do this and make this year’s GG Giving Tuesday a great success! You can donate to JMC via this link:

https://www.globalgiving.org/58976

You can donate in $, £ or €uros! - ‘Giving Tuesday’ lasts for 24 hours and starts at midnight ET in the USA, which is 5am GMT in the UK and 6am CET across Europe.

Climate friendly Christmas Presents!

Look no further! Sending a GG Gift Card and asking the receiver to support SAM Schools is an environmentally sustainable and long-lasting gift… plus it’s easy!

Just click this link: https://www.globalgiving.org/gifts/ to buy and send your cards digitally. The recipient can then choose which project to support, so it’s particularly important that you kindly ask them to donate their card to JMC! 

www.globalgiving.org/58976

Thank you and Happy Christmas

I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of all the staff at JCM and Kinderhulp Afrika to wish to and your family a Very Happy Christmas and Best Wishes for a healthier, happier and peaceful 2025!

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the office via the website or myself personally, jill@kinderhulp-afrika.nl, I would love to hear from you.

They say “A picture tells a thousand words.”

 Here are some photographs for you to enjoy!