Ibambo Clinic & Health Centre

Thanks to receiving a generous, anonymous donation FUM was able to tile the floors in the clinic and paint the internal walls. Not only does it make the floors much easier to keep clean and hygenic but it also makes the working environment much more pleasant. Previously the floors were bare concrete.

The staff house is complete and the rainwater project was completed soon after Easter. The clinic is now fully functional with staff accommodation on site and a good supply of water.

We are very grateful to our colleagues in Tanzania who have made this possible, with help from FUM. It has been a long haul but well worthwhile and it will make a huge difference to the local villagers.

Progress with the staff house was paused when the state electricity company Tanesco announced that the National Grid would be coming to the village, but added that for the staff house the £1500 cost was payable without delay.

Kaliua District Council proposed that this money should be found by using wooden windows rather than long last aluminium ones and by not having tiled floors and walls.

By chance FUM received an unexpected legacy for this amount following the death of long standing member Johnnie Walker. As a result the building will soon be completed with the original tiles and aluminium windows and be connected to the mains electricity grid.

The clinic finally opened at Easter 2018 and is now providing a limited service for villagers. Full service will only be possible when there is on-site accommodation for medical staff and a reliable supply of good quality water. Our Ibambo Project 2018 aims to raise £15,000 to provide these necessities.

Accommodation The success of the 2018 Fundraising Walks enabled us to send £4500 in November 2018, sufficient to complete the staff housing.

For water the plan is to construct a large underground tank to store rainwater, similar to the tank at (fairly) nearby Nyasa clinic. This will need around £10,000.

Sadly even though the building of the clinic is now complete the clinic is still not open. The problem is that there now needs to be a staff house and toilets before Kaliua District will register the clinic. FUM have been told the government could find staff but cannot do this until the staff house and toilets are in place.

Maybe this is a project the Kaliua District, the local population and FUM can work on together? Certainly there is a great need for a medical facility in Ibambo which is a long way from the nearest clinic and even further from the hospital in Urambo.

Jo Taylor
FUM Medical Liaison Officer

The clinic building is at last nearing completion.
Cranbrook School students have painted the inside of the building, leaving the builders to complete the external rendering and painting.

Hopefully the clinic will open in the not too distant future.

Jo Taylor
FUM Medical Liaison Officer