Capacity building Mission Hospital Malawi

Combatting maternal and child mortality rates in Malawi

Urgency
The county of Embangweni lies in the rural north of Malawi, approx. 50 miles south of the town Mzuzu. In Malawi, the birth mortality rate for mothers is 50 times higher compared to Western Europe. Every 1 in 250 births results in the death of the mother. Child mortality rates are also enormous. In Malawi, about 1 in 20 children dies during or just after birth (compared to 1 in 300 in Western Europe). In rural places such as Embangweni, these mortality rates for mother and child are even worse.

Mission Hospital
Embangweni Mission Hospital is one of the very few hospitals in the North of Malawi. It has close ties with the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) in Mzuzu. Through the years, the hospital has been very significant. Unfortunately, due to a lack of funding the management has not been able to properly maintain the infrastructure and to adjust to recent standards. Therefore, the whole hospital became increasingly broken-down.

‘Your contribution can make a huge difference in this world from the rural area perspective.’ – Dr. Parfait Kileya, Medical director Embangweni Hospital

Role of MMWT
Malawi Mission Work Team Foundation (MMWT) has extensive experience in renovating and modernizing outdated hospitals especially in Africa. To make this happen, MMWT is raising funds in the Netherlands. Since early 2017, MMWT has been involved with Embangweni Mission Hospital. Always in close consultation with the hospital’s management team, priorities have been set. In the years 2018-2022, the main focus was on renovation of the most important buildings like: the children’s ward, waiting rooms, operating theaters and ablution block. By the end of 2022, this part of the project has been completed to the full satisfaction of Embangweni hospital’s management. In 2023 MMWT Foundation has started a next phase of the project that primairly focusses on training and capacity building of the local staff. 

Approach
The MMWT foundation has decided, in close cooperation with the Hospital Management team, to primairly focus on the reduction of mother and child mortality rates during pregnacy and around the time of giving birth. As mentioned above, the current part of the project focusses on capacity building (education and competency improvement) as well as improving facilities (surgery wards and medical equipment):

• Training the medical staff in surgical procedures
• Training the nursing staff in nursing procedures
• Patient education on mother and child health care
• Purchase proper equipment for surgery and maternity wards
• Create and maintain proper facilities for medical and nursing staff to attract qualified personnel.

In the short term, our first goal is to start training and facility management in the hospital by two couples of volunteers from The Netherlands. The first couple (constructor and nurse) will focus on improvement of infrastructural facilities and training nursing skills. The second couple (tropical doctor and health care trainer) will focus on training medical staff and patient education. The aforementioned couples have started since June and October 2023, respectively. The second goal is about improving facilities. For instance, the recently built theater complex will be adequately equipped with up to date surgical devices.

Sharing Christ’ love
The vision of MMWT is to offer help to our distant neighbor in need from a Christian conviction, as described in Galatians 6 verse 2: ‘Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ’. This Christian value is the driving force to serve and to use the talents within MMWT for the benefit of the hospital and ultimately for the benefit of the poor Malawian population. By doing so, MMWT also supports the mission of Embangweni Mission Hospital (EMH) to promote and provide holistic, accessible and patient centered care which reflects the love of Christ at all times and to be a Christ-like exemplary and compassionate health care provider.

Impact
The first part of the project, renovation of the buildings – will have a lasting impact on the level of health services provided in the northern part of Malawi. Because of the outstanding quality of the new buildings, Embangweni Hospital has already become the preferred training site for trainee-doctors. In this way, Embangweni is gaining a pioneering role in its network towards other clinics and hospitals in Northern Malawi!

In the long term, we do expect an enormous positive impact for the local community. Annually, more than 50.000 people will benefit from this hospital! Through better facilities, by strongly focusing on better hygiene and training of hospital staff, maternal and child mortality can be drastically reduced.

‘Training of staff is not just capacity building but also recognition of what is being accomplished already’. – Gerrit Roorda, volunteering tropical doctor.

Project costs
We are looking for donors who feel motivated to help improve the poignant situations around births in Malawi. MissionInvest offers you the opportunity to participate in this amazing Kingdom project. Realizing this project requires a significant investment. MMWT foundation and MissionInvest jointly collaborate in fundraising and development for this project. After completion of the capacity building program, the hospital should be equipped to provide medical care on a sustainable and significantly higher level.

The costs to realize this project are € 125,000 per year during the period 2023-2025. The total budget for three years is € 375,000. MMWT itself will raise every year about € 50,000 and MissionInvest has committed to raise € 75,000 on a yearly basis. In 2023, we raised the first € 37,000 and hence we are seeking donors for the remaining € 38,000. 

Does it also touch you that in Malawi vulnerable mothers and their babies are in mortal danger? Simply because there is a lack of knowledge and facilities! Together with you, we can solve this problem. This project shows that it can be done! Please help!