Gus Neilson: Jim Muir - On Call Africa

Last week's meeting of Hawick Rotary Club welcomed Jim Muir of the Langholm Club, who along with his colleague George Cairns, spoke of that Club's involvement with the charity On Call Africa. This is a small Scottish charity founded in 2010, and the Club's link came about through one of the three doctors setting it up being Kirsty Luescher of Langholm.

On Call Africa is centred on the town of Livingstone, Zambia, and on the surrounding villages up to 80 miles away (but therefore eight hours by road). This area has life expectancy of 46 years, and 79% of the rural population live in poverty, with one doctor per 16,000 people. Volunteer doctors from Scotland and other parts of the UK work at makeshift rural clinics for periods of three months or so, treating patients but also training community health workers. 91% of their patients are women and children. The two main medical problems are respiratory diseases, because of the dry dusty climate, and skin disease because of poor hygiene.

The focus of Langholm's project is to reach more patients and to improve the reliability of service, and so the target, in association with the Rotary Clubs of Kilsyth and Livingstone (Zambia) is to provide a Toyota Landcruiser ambulance, which will be able to carry nine staff out to these rural clinics. Langholm will become the international sponsors of the project. £35,000 must be raised in total to deliver the ambulance from the workshop in Gibraltar to Zambia. £14,000 must be raised by Langholm, and then grants from Rotary's District funds and from Rotary Foundation, an international charity, will boost the fundraising. Langholm are seeking the involvement of other Borders clubs in this project to help reach the target.

After a series of questions from Hawick Rotarians who sought additional information on the charity's work, Jack Swanston gave a Vote of Thanks, congratulating Jim Muir on the excellent way in which he had given details of the project.

Further information can be obtained at https://www.pointsoflight.gov.uk/healthcare-in-rural-africa/