​The African Oyster Trust is once again taking part in the Big Give #ChristmasChallenge18. Our aim is to raise funds to equip a lab for Jappineh Village Health Centre which provides care for 30,000 people.
 
The Big Give, the UK’s biggest online match-funding campaign, starts at noon on 27th November until noon on 4th December. Any donations made during this period through www.theBigGive.org.uk will be DOUBLED. So a gift of £10 will become £20, or £50 will become £100, and so on.
 
The lab will help diagnose and treat malaria and other tropical illnesses, bringing relief to thousands. We are also looking to raise funds to buy a portable X-Ray machine and an Ultra Sound machine.

Why does the Gambia need our help?
 
Given the extreme poverty in The Gambia it is not uncommon for a small illness, even a splinter, to become infected and if not treated it can worsen and lead to an amputation. The situation with serious illnesses is much worse with patients facing long and expensive journeys to other towns for treatment.
 
Jappineh is in Jarra, Matsakonko region of Central Gambia. This is a heavily indebted, remote and poor area which relies mainly on subsistance farming. Gambia itself is an extremely poor country, rated 10th from the bottom in the human development index. Average incomes in this region are under £1 per day. Even the cost of travel to the nearest town's clinic is beyond the means of most of the local population.
 
The nearest large hospital from Jappineh was a good two hours away. The journey involved pot holed dirt tracks and a ferry crossing. There is only one major teaching hospital in the whole country which is approximately 5 hours away. 

 
What impact is the charity having on health issues?
 
To address these needs the African Oyster Trust opened the Jappineh Health Centre, also known as the ‘Sir Howard Dalton Clinic’, in 2009. The medical centre is the only one serving a population of around 30,000 people from Jappineh and surrounding 20 smaller villages.
It now employs seven full-time members of medical staff, supported by the Trust, and treats about 700 patients every month. Having a health centre means ailments can be treated immediately, people do not need to decide between feeding their families or paying to travel to distant towns for healthcare.

Following the opening of the medical centre there has been a general improvement to Jappineh community health. There has been a measurable reduction in maternal and infant mortality, better survival and cure rates for malaria and other infectious tropical diseases, “the African Oyster Trust's work has transformed the welfare of people in the district and beyond,” says Chief Alhagie Dampha.
Having a well-stocked dispensary saves people buying costly drugs from a retail pharmacy.
 
It is often difficult securing skilled expertise to service the technical equipment and to find replacement parts for complex equipment such as centrifuge and solar fridge.
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We routinely purchase lab equipment through the Department of State for Health Central Laboratory stores so that we can call upon their expertise and store of spare parts whenever required. We want to build on this healthcare success story.

Help us equip our new laboratory

One of the aims of this year’s Big Give campaign is to equip our newly built laboratory as well as providing ongoing consumables, parts and maintenance for equipment, and training for the lab staff. These facilities will ensure quick, cheap and accurate diagnosis - accessible to all the community.  
 
By having a fully equipped laboratory on site, staffed by a trained lab technician, patients will no longer have to travel in order to have routine blood tests.
 
The onsite facilities will allow fast and accurate diagnosis of common tropical diseases leading to appropriate treatment and better survival rates.
 
Before, problems in childbirth often had fatal consequences, exacerbated by lengthy journeys in private vehicles or on donkey carts to get to the nearest medical help. We are delighted to report that the Jappineh Medical Centre is now delivering 20-30 babies every month, and as a result of the anti-natal care being offered, birth weights are above the Gambian average.
 
With the additional funds raised through the Big Give we plan to add a portable X-Ray machine and an Ultra Sound machine to the equipment already in the Health Centre so we can improve our medical care even further.

Please help us achieve our fundraising targets!

Make one donation with TWICE the impact!

Simply log on to the BIG GIVE website www.theBigGive.org.uk (or click the button below) between noon on 27th November and noon on 4th December. and look up the African Oyster Trust – Project ‘Equip a lab.’

Thank you!

You can raise funds for the African Oyster Trust at a fun evening of wine tasting with genuine and dubious wine connoisseurship!

Whose Wine Is It Anyway? takes place in Oxhill, Warwickshire on Friday 30th November 2018

Each table will present a wine by sharing prepared scripts with the whole room - one true and 2 false. Everyone votes to decide the most convincing description. Adjudicated by an expert from Majestic Wines.

The evening offers:

• Opportunity to taste 8 different wines
  
• All tasting bottles included in the price
• Canapes provided to accompany the wines
• Small auction to follow of Christmas decorations
  

Plus other special lots to bid for – details to follow.

Tickets for the event are £15 each, or you can buy a table for 8 guests and bring your friends. Starting at 19:15 for 19:30 and running through to approx. 21:30, this special event will raise funds for the African Oyster Trust to equip a lab for Jappineh Village Health Centre in The Gambia

To book, contact Shirley Cherry on 01295 680793 or [email protected]