About

This Christmas, BuildAid are raising money for the construction of a new Paediatric Oncology Ward at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) in Blantyre, Malawi. This project is in partnership with World Child Cancer and will provide life-saving medical care in one of the world’s poorest countries. QECH is one of just two hospitals in Malawi that provides paediatric cancer care. The ward currently sees over 1,300 childhood cancer patients a year, both newly diagnosed children and those receiving ongoing treatment. However, a complete re-build is needed as the ward is far too small and poorly laid out. There is limited bed space, no separate areas for inpatients and outpatients and no outpatient waiting area, which leads to overcrowding and some children having to share beds. This leads to a high risk of infection transmission which is extremely dangerous for children undergoing chemotherapy who are immunosuppressed and especially vulnerable. As well as the increased risk of infection, the mix of inpatients and outpatients can be very upsetting for the children – witnessing painful procedures and seeing many other children who are very sick. The new building will include: - A new, second storey for outpatient visitors, with a separate entrance and exit from the inpatient area - Increased space for several more beds - Additional isolation rooms - Separate treatment rooms - Improved WC facilities including several handwash stations - A play/learning room - Designated space for nurses to rest - An ultrasound room - Drug mixing room - Secure drug storage - Solar panels and microgeneration system The new ward will be bigger and much better-resourced with improved prevention control, which will increase survival rates. The ward will offer its patients a much-improved quality of life and will directly benefit around 2,400 children – nearly twice its current rate. We’re hoping to raise £10,000 this Christmas to get us started on this life-changing project. The total cost is estimated at £410,000 and we’re hoping to get a head start before we launch a year-long fundraising campaign in January. If you can help us get closer to our goal this Christmas, then we’re one step closer to saving more children’s lives. Please donate what you can and share this page with your family and friends. If you have any questions about the project or would like more information, please don’t hesitate to contact Katie (krm@buildaid.org). THANK YOU AND MERRY CHRISTMAS

Social