Week 41 – Remember the Ebola crisis?

This week I have been reminded how lucky we are to have a fully equip’d  health service when needed in time of crisis.

When the Rotary Club of Marlow responded to the Ebola crisis in West Africa in August 2014, they formed a partnership with the Rotary Club of Monrovia to supply immediate aid.   Over £100,000 was raised in the UK along with funds from Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, USA and other countries, and this money was used for immediate aid and ‘hands-on’ support.

Subsequently, with the help of funding from Rotary International, two Ebola legacy projects were started.

Medical oxygen is virtually unavailable in Liberia, and as a result untested and occasionally dangerous industrial oxygen has to be used.

A project funded and managed by Rotary, will not only supply the ELWA hospital in Monrovia, but it will also supply other local public hospitals.  The emergency areas and the operating theatres will have piped oxygen – a first in Liberia.  The $200,000 oxygen Plant  project is due to be completed in May 2019

Training Scholarships –  just $3,000 to train a student to graduate level. 

A scholarship programme has also been set up with 35 students either graduated or soon to graduate The Rotary Club of Monrovia has shown amazing capabilities in its ability to identify a problem and turn immediate disaster aid relief into a long term support to help rebuild a fractured society.  There is still much to do and Rotary in Marlow continue their involvement and have launched an appeal to train more students at the Mother Patten School of Health Science where, at less than $3000, per head to train a student to a graduate level, the programme represents amazing value for the use of Rotary money.

Rotary in Marlow has launched an appeal to fund more medical students and have already collected $8,000 with a target of $30,000.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg_VxURb2lE

So, how lucky are we – and how great is Rotary?