JUNE 2007 - WHERE WE ARE NOW

There is lots happening in a very positive vein and Bottom Hospital, Malawi, is getting huge support from all over the world. MUMs Recipes is and continues to be a success story. I am delighted to say that the most recent fundraising event 'Music for MUMs' on the 20th April 2007, was a great success. From the production team, backstage, the performers and most importantly the 1,250 packed audience, the evening was a challenging, uplifting, and emotional experience for everyone. With such wonderful talent on show, the three hours just flew by. However, the highlight of the evening was the appearance of Dr Tarek Meguid the consultant from Bottom Hospital. You could hear a pin drop in the auditorium when he spoke so passionately on the needs of the women and babies in the hospital. To top it all, due to the generosity of the performers who all gave their time and talents for nothing, we made a profit of £15,500! This amazing amount was hugely helped by sponsors and very generous donations.

The 'Linda McDonald Charitable Trust' for Bottom Hospital had a meeting following the concert. Having Tarek staying as a guest, was an ideal time to ask him what the hospital needs are and how best to achieve them. The second recipe book will be available from October 2007 and with the support again of The Royal Bank of Scotland and MUMs Recipe followers I hope to bring in another large amount of money for the hospital. A further meeting was held in Malawi at the beginning of May and below is a summary of the positive results and the progress to date and our hopes for the future.

1. The Tom Hunter Foundation, with money raised from the STV appeal at Christmas (which included £100,000 from MUMs Recipes) has doubled the donations to pay for the building and equipping of a brand new high risk maternity hospital beside Kumuzu Central Hospital, in Lilongwe. This of course has the advantage of sharing life saving services between the general and the new obstetric wing. This is about two miles away from the now standing Bottom Hospital and will take approximately half the deliveries which are now been done at Bottom. It is important to remember that the hospital is a government run hospital for the poor and very poor women in the Lilongwe district. Because of this main factor the Malawi government are paying 40% of the cost of the building. Building plans are in progress and work starts this July. Watch STV for updates. A point of interest, Bottom Hospital has been renamed Bwaila Hospital. This was decided recently by the President himself and the name comes from the area where the hospital is situated. This is a wonderfully positive step!

2. The present Bwaila Hospital is going to be revamped/rebuilt by the Rose Project. This is an Irish run charity based in Dublin and they do amazing work all over Africa. The hospital will become safer, cleaner and more humane. It will be a low risk hospital, run mostly by midwives and clinical officers.

3. MUMs Recipe money is going to be used to improve nurses' working conditions, help midwives to stay in Malawi and encourage more midwives and doctors to work in Bwaila Hospital. Only 11% of pregnant women have access to anti retroviral drugs, so this could also be an area we may help. Infection control is clearly of vital importance and if we can help with employment in that direction we will. Generally the money will be spent in helping where we can and where the needs are with long term benefits, i.e. sustainability. There will be a lot of discussions and meetings with key people in Edinburgh and Malawi. It will be a busy year but a rewarding one.