Joshua is dedicated to improving access to healthcare in rural areas and for some time now we have been running under-five clinics at four of Joshua's feeding centres.
Recently these clinics have started working in the villages of
Chigwaja and Mwandika. The clinics take place every Friday morning in
the villages' feeding centres and are run by two Joshua volunteers.
Children under five have their weight, temperature and height recorded,
as well as receiving a general check-up to monitor any skin infections,
wounds or other signs of illness they may have.
Since these
clinics started we have seen very positive results. Common childhood illnesses are being caught and treated early, the burden of travelling long distances to access healthcare is being lifted from hard working mothers and because of our training sessions and wound care advice less children
are suffering from skin infections, and wounds are being thoroughly
washed and dressed, resulting in quicker healing timesAs well as the under-fives clinic, the two volunteer doctors also run a training workshop every Friday afternoon. They teach the local community about important health issues, such as: first aid, hygiene, malaria, HIV/AIDS, diabetes and blood pressure. These sessions make people aware of the causes of diseases like diabetes and blood pressure and how to take care of an HIV/AIDS patient.
Taking healthcare into the heart of rural communities like this is key to saving lives and improving health long term.
