Semembela Clinic
The long-standing problem of reliable water for the village has now been solved with the new borehole and more rainwater harvesting at the clinic. Both were funded by FUM.
Semembela was one of FUM's first clinics, opened in 1983 by John Gillett. After more than 30 years service it was upgraded in 2015 with a new delivery room funded by World Vision.
Semembela Clinic 2017 Update
The borehole water passed its safety tests at the government laboratory in Arusha, the well has been capped and is now 'live' with a hand pump. Villagers are delighted.
The girls' dormitory is now at capacity with 32 girls living there, enabling them to attend he secondary school.
Nick Vinall
FUM Treasurer
Semembela Clinic 2016 Update
We visited in November 2016. The same nurse runs this busy clinic and is delighted with the maternity delivery room built with finance from World Vision. The tiled floor makes it so much easier to keep clean and FUM is investigating the cost of tiling floors in more of its clinics. The good news was that the borehole test drilling had struck water.
The previous delivery room is now used every day as the nurse's surgery. The FUM 1983 clinic still looks good from its 2015 painting. It is used for mothers awaiting delivery, recovery and some storage.
Dormitory Project This was seen to be fully functional with 15 girls resident and now able to attend the secondary school.
Richard Pratt and Jo Taylor
FUM chairman and Medical Liaison officer
Semembela Clinic 2015 Update
There are now 3 buildings, the original dispensary, the clinic, plus a new maternity delivery building financed by World Vision. The new delivery house has tiled walls, delivery suite, showers & toilets (not yet working as they have insufficient water), staff area, waiting room. It has good solar lighting. Wonderful!
The dispensary has no power, the clinic has some solar lighting, financed by the local MP.
Staff There is one nursing officer who is very good. She is so committed that she and her husband have built their own house nearby. There are up to 6 helpers from the village.
The only water supply is from shallow well ½ km away but this can dry up in dry season. Cranbrook School is looking to finance rain water harvesting - hopefully. Their number one priority is to have SIM tanks for water.
Jo Taylor
FUM Medical Liaison Officer
Semembela Clinic 2013 Update
This clinic is very isolated, not helped by the very poor state of its “road” through the forestry reserve which people are wary of using due to the fines imposed on anyone felling timber.
The clinic was found to be run down and poorly staffed. The only staffhouse is very old and is the main reason why new staff will not stay at the village. A newly appointed nurse only lasted one day and then left the village!
The clinic is busy, with about 600 births per year from a population of 12000 supported by the clinic. There is no CTC clinic here to help those who are HIV positive, they have to get to the clinic in Bukene, 25km away.
The bicycle for Outreach work was seen to be very old and shabby so Cranbrook School bought a replacement bike for the clinic.
The young guard Machia Kavenga is keen to train as an Auxiliary Nurse but the death of his sponsor meant that he did not complete all his exams. He says if he can train as a nurse he will return to Semembele so the health care for his village will improve.
The village have started to build a new staff house, but little progress has been seen for a while – though they have the funding to build to the lintel.
Jo Taylor
FUM Medical Liaison Officer
