Help Me Bring Water to Atutur Hospital!
Donation protected
Hello Friends & Family!
Those of you who know me well, know that I'm not very good at asking for help. However, I have one month to raise the funds for a month-long volunteer project in Uganda.
Since I was a young teen I've been involved with various non-profits, and it's always been my dream to volunteer in Africa.
I was raised with an awareness that the only life worth living is one lived for something greater than myself. So many around the world don't have the opportunity to dream or rise above their reality, especially the impoverished in Uganda who don't even have the opportunity to drink clean water.
Two weeks ago I was invited by my dear friend Lydia Nataloo to join the Atutur Hospital Uganda mission: this July! The project is the renovation of Atutur Hospital: a hospital that serves 400,000 people, and is forced to use swamp water for its patients.
"Every hour, over 38 children and adults die in Uganda due to water-related diseases… Patients who enter the (Atutur) hospital must fetch their own water and food and often are given no option other than to sleep on the floor due to the insufficient amount of beds." *
"Since 1969 when Dr. Obote constructed it, Atutur hospital has never been renovated or maintained. For two years now since the water motor blew up, the hospital has operated without running water and the provisional water is fetched from a swamp. This water is used in operating theatres, in wards etc. Dirty swamp water is being used to sterilize instruments, wash new born children. The toilets are just a place of inconvenience and the drainage system is hay wire to an extent that even the water from the operating theatre doesn't drain out. The filth is overwhelming but some how they have kept going... "
- Adeke Anna Ebaju. Guild President Makerere
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At Atutur Hospital, I will be working toward these goals:
Water: Since the water was cut off, the pipes have become unusable. We will be working with local tradesmen to re-pipe the hospital. We will also be working with Disaster Response Team to investigate options for rainwater collection and storage which could be filtered with Sawyer filters.
Electricity: Having reliable electricity is incredibly important for optimal hospital operation. Because of its rural location and the unreliable nature of electricity from the city, the hospital would really benefit from a backup diesel generator. We also hope to install solar panels and energy-efficient LED lights to help the facilities operate as efficiently and sustainably as possible.
Beds: Right now, many patients are forced to lay on bare bed frames or on the floor. Mattresses, if any, are often uncovered and made of foam--a disaster for sanitation and comfort. Patients often need to bring their own sheets. We will partner with a local manufacturer to provide new mattresses and bedding.
Waiting Room: Being forced to wait outside in the elements is not ideal for anyone, especially sick and injured patients. Our volunteers will build a waiting area with local materials and their own skills.
Those of you who know me well, know that I'm not very good at asking for help. However, I have one month to raise the funds for a month-long volunteer project in Uganda.
Since I was a young teen I've been involved with various non-profits, and it's always been my dream to volunteer in Africa.
I was raised with an awareness that the only life worth living is one lived for something greater than myself. So many around the world don't have the opportunity to dream or rise above their reality, especially the impoverished in Uganda who don't even have the opportunity to drink clean water.
Two weeks ago I was invited by my dear friend Lydia Nataloo to join the Atutur Hospital Uganda mission: this July! The project is the renovation of Atutur Hospital: a hospital that serves 400,000 people, and is forced to use swamp water for its patients.
"Every hour, over 38 children and adults die in Uganda due to water-related diseases… Patients who enter the (Atutur) hospital must fetch their own water and food and often are given no option other than to sleep on the floor due to the insufficient amount of beds." *
"Since 1969 when Dr. Obote constructed it, Atutur hospital has never been renovated or maintained. For two years now since the water motor blew up, the hospital has operated without running water and the provisional water is fetched from a swamp. This water is used in operating theatres, in wards etc. Dirty swamp water is being used to sterilize instruments, wash new born children. The toilets are just a place of inconvenience and the drainage system is hay wire to an extent that even the water from the operating theatre doesn't drain out. The filth is overwhelming but some how they have kept going... "
- Adeke Anna Ebaju. Guild President Makerere
--------------------------------------------------
At Atutur Hospital, I will be working toward these goals:
Water: Since the water was cut off, the pipes have become unusable. We will be working with local tradesmen to re-pipe the hospital. We will also be working with Disaster Response Team to investigate options for rainwater collection and storage which could be filtered with Sawyer filters.
Electricity: Having reliable electricity is incredibly important for optimal hospital operation. Because of its rural location and the unreliable nature of electricity from the city, the hospital would really benefit from a backup diesel generator. We also hope to install solar panels and energy-efficient LED lights to help the facilities operate as efficiently and sustainably as possible.
Beds: Right now, many patients are forced to lay on bare bed frames or on the floor. Mattresses, if any, are often uncovered and made of foam--a disaster for sanitation and comfort. Patients often need to bring their own sheets. We will partner with a local manufacturer to provide new mattresses and bedding.
Waiting Room: Being forced to wait outside in the elements is not ideal for anyone, especially sick and injured patients. Our volunteers will build a waiting area with local materials and their own skills.
Ambulance: Right now, the hospital has no ambulance. We are looking into the best options available locally, and provide more information in updates.
Medical Equipment and Supplies: The more equipment, medicine, and supplies we can get our hands on, the better. We would love to be able to update the surgical theater and replenish basic medicine and supplies.
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Because this opportunity arose so suddenly, I am not able to raise the funds necessary for my ticket, accommodation, supplies, and one month stay in Uganda by July, by myself. It's a hard thing for me to reach out for assistance, but I believe this is a project I'm meant to be a part of, and I would be so very grateful for any donation anyone is able to give.
I know times are tough, but any little bit helps!
Thank you so much for your help and prayers!!
XO Olivia
Page Cover Photo borrowed from http://www.monitor.co.ug
For more Info on the Atutur Hospital Uganda Project click here.
* Full Interview with Lydia can be found here.
Medical Equipment and Supplies: The more equipment, medicine, and supplies we can get our hands on, the better. We would love to be able to update the surgical theater and replenish basic medicine and supplies.
-----------------------------------------------------
Because this opportunity arose so suddenly, I am not able to raise the funds necessary for my ticket, accommodation, supplies, and one month stay in Uganda by July, by myself. It's a hard thing for me to reach out for assistance, but I believe this is a project I'm meant to be a part of, and I would be so very grateful for any donation anyone is able to give.
I know times are tough, but any little bit helps!
Thank you so much for your help and prayers!!
XO Olivia
Page Cover Photo borrowed from http://www.monitor.co.ug
For more Info on the Atutur Hospital Uganda Project click here.
* Full Interview with Lydia can be found here.
Organizer
Olivia Hansen
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA
