Fund an ADRA / Adventist Help Refugee Hospital Bed in Uganda

Welcome to Kyaka 2 Refugee camp, Kyegegwa district, Western Uganda. It's home to 50 000 refugees from the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. It's a camp that's rapidly growing with thousands of refugees arriving every month on busses from the border. It's expected to increase to 150 000 in the next six months.

Why the exodus? Eastern DRC is a region wracked with some of the highest rates of ethnic violence on the planet for decades, and it's only getting worse. Hundreds of militia groups wreak havoc in the communities, moving from village to village - murdering, raping, pillaging. The region is described as the "rape capital of the world" - 48 women being raped every hour. 65% of victims of sexual violence are children - latest statistics show that even in Kyaka 2 camp 10% of children have been raped by militia. It's a region where tens of thousands of children have been taken as child soldiers, been victims of human trafficking, forced prostitution, slavery. It's one of the most horrific regions on the planet. Last year escalating violence resulted in further displacement of 2.7 million people. And on top of this, a hunger crisis with more than 5 million children living with severe malnutrition - some of the highest rates on the planet. And on top of this the worse cholera outbreak in decades.

Following the success of our field hospital in Mosul, Iraq that has seen over 50 000 patients in the past year, we have been invited by ADRA Uganda to assist with the development of an even larger field hospital for Congolese refugees that have entered Uganda. The Office of the Prime Minister has given us three acres of land in the centre Kyaka 2 camp, at the main arrival point for refugee busses.

The camp has extremely limited health care facilities - it's health statistics are dismal, even compared to countries like Somalia - simply due to lack of infrastructure. It's similar to Iraq, but with a higher population, less facilities, and the additional burden of infectious diseases. If you are a woman in labour and you have complications and require a caesarian section, you and the baby will likely die - there are no theatres nearby. If you are a child and you develop cerebral malaria you will also likely die, as there are no high care facilities nearby. If you are diabetic you will have nowhere to receive treatment. If you've been raped and need antiretrovirals you won't have access to them either. And it's only getting worse. The need for a facility like ours is critical.

The planned hospital will have 100 beds, with a male, female and paediatric ward, a labour ward and isolation facilities. A well equipped emergency room, X-ray and ultrasound unit, laboratory, outpatient unit with dental and mental health included, and two operating theatres - one exclusively for obstetrics. Our focus is on woman and child health.

We're here to bridge the gaps. And we're inviting you to join us today!

We're starting a FUND-A-BED campaign. We're aiming for around 100 beds.

Here is the shopping list of some of the items we are fundraising for (we only use refurbished/second hand items from a humanitarian supplier in Netherlands, and other donors, and purchased items are at low cost from China). If an item is already funded then donations will be directed into another equipment item. Every bit helps!

1. An Adult bed costs USD300 (www.used-hospitalbeds.com)

2. A child's bed/cot costs USD 200 (www.used-hospitalbeds.com)

3. A crib costs USD100 (www.used-hospitalbeds.com)

4. A bedside unit costs USD75 (www.used-hospitalbeds.com)

5. A table costs USD60 (China)

6. A bedhead unit costs USD44. (China)

7. A curtain railing costs USD10 (China)

8. A curtain costs USD8 (China)

9. An ultrasound machine costs USD 7000 (EU - second hand)

10. An X-ray unit costs USD 8000 (EU - second hand)

etc.

Don't think your donation is too small - every bit helps.

Our team at AdventistHelp are all volunteers, and all donated money goes entirely into equipment for the facility and not into operating costs. If there is duplication funds will be allocated to an equivalent item.

If you would like to make a tax deductible donation through ADRA please contact us at [email protected] and we'll send you details! It's a big project, but thats the gap that urgently needs to be filled, and we're the only ones here to fill it. We're very concerned with transparency, and will be posting updates on fund allocation.

Thank you again for being involved!