Donate today to extend the Embo Philakade Clinic
Bring health and hope to Embo, South Africa
Your gift today will help provide new and improved health services in a specially designed extension to the Embo Philakade Clinic. This will house a new dental service, alongside other vital health services, helping the Embo Clinic to provide the best care for the growing number of patients they serve.
The good news is that every £1 you give in October will become £2 until the pledge fund has been matched, as part of our Twice Gold appeal.
Every £45 could help build a square foot of the extension (doubled to two square feet)
Gerald was in terrible pain. He was suffering from advanced tooth decay – some of his teeth were broken and he could only eat soft foods.
In Embo, the extremely poor community where he lives, there is currently no dentist. So Gerald had nowhere to turn when his tooth pain first began, and over time it got worse.
When Gerald was visiting the Embo clinic for something else, he happened to meet Lesley, a dentist who had come to discuss starting a dental clinic in Embo. Lesley invited Gerald to come to his dental surgery to have his rotten teeth removed and replaced with dentures, free of charge.
“Now I am confident in myself and am able to chew without pain,” says Gerald. He is pictured here with his new dentures.
Lesley has offered to help set up a dental clinic in Embo, and is willing to volunteer some of his time. But currently, there is nowhere for a dental clinic to take place.
Your support can help to build the extension where more people like Gerald can vital receive dental treatment.
Double your gift this October!
Every £1 you give in October will become £2, thanks to our generous appeal patrons.
£45 could help to build a square foot of the new building (doubled to two square feet)
£90 could help to build two square feet of the new building (doubled to four square feet)
What else will this extension be used for?
Over the past five years, the number of consultations managed by the clinic has increased by 45%, putting serious pressure on existing staff and space. The clinic is no longer able to provide the quality of care needed without expanding its facilities.
Alongside the new dental clinic, the extension will also house a consultation space that will be used for different clinics on different days. These will be:
– An adolescents clinic: The area faces a severe crisis in teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Births to mothers under the age of 20 make up approximately 16.4% of all births in KwaZulu‑Natal; in the UK the figure is 2.2%. The service will work in partnership with school adolescent-care teams and provide health checks, sexual and reproductive‑health education, STI testing and treatment, and prevention education to address teenage pregnancy.
– A men’s clinic: An Africa Health research regional study found 71% of men with active health symptoms did not seek care. A dedicated men’s clinic aims to improve attendance and reduce late diagnosis and referral, especially for HIV and STIs.
– A mother‑and‑child clinic: Mothers and children coming for antenatal care and postnatal care currently attend alongside general patients. In a busy clinic, nurses feel they are not able to spend enough time with these mothers, leading to oversight of critical details. They also believe they cannot dedicate sufficient time to women experiencing traumatic circumstances. Having a separate space for these women and children will allow the staff to give them the attention they need.