Category: Healthcare

Community, Donations, Education, Healthcare, Malawi

Menstrual Health and Hygiene Program

Phunzira

Phunzira is excited to announce a new collaboration with Supreme Sanitary Pads, a social enterprise based in Nkhata Bay that produces reusable menstrual pads locally. Through this partnership, we have provided a menstrual health and hygiene education program as well as the distribution of reusable sanitary pad packs to schoolchildren within the Nyumba Ya Masambiro catchment area. 

Of the 10 Primary schools within NYM’s catchment area, 6 have been selected to run the first education and distribution program. Two trainers from Supreme Sanitary Pads have come to Ruarwe to run the menstrual health and hygiene education program at the 6 selected schools, as well as training local ambassadors, who can continue to provide the education in the future. The program is taught to both boys and girls, with some sessions separate and some together as is appropriate and considerate of social customs, whilst also working to break down stigmas. Each attendee then received a pack which includes: 1 lined tote bag, which can be used as a school bag, 5 reusable sanitary pads, 2 pens, 2 pencils and 1 exercise book, 1 eraser and 1 pencil sharpener. The boys included in the program can pass on the sanitary pads to sisters/mothers or friends who can use them. On this occasion the funding allows the program to reach 600 students within the area. 

Each pack includes enough pads to manage a monthly period and the pads last up to two years and come with educational guidance on menstrual hygiene and safe usage. These pads not only ensure dignity and comfort but also significantly reduce the risk of school absenteeism during menstruation. And because they are washable and long-lasting, they’re a cost-effective, eco-friendly solution compared to disposable alternatives or chitenge rags commonly used in these rural areas, which are very prone to leaks. 

Supreme operates as a true social enterprise—every purchase supports local employment and reinvests profits back into the business and educational outreach efforts.  We’re proud to work alongside them to address menstrual health challenges, break stigma, and help girls stay in school.

This launch marks a significant step forward in our ongoing mission to make education more inclusive. We look forward to raising further funds in the future to allow us to expand the program to the remaining primary and two secondary schools in the area.

Community, Education, Healthcare, Malawi, Youth

E.A.R.T.H Workshops take place at NYM

Phunzira

Nyumba Ya Masambiro was delighted to host The E.A.R.T.H Workshops team from Butterfly Space in Nkhata Bay who came to share their knowledge and expertise on all things environmental. Standing for Environment, Agriculture, Reforestation, Topsoil and Health, the workshops provide a bottom-up approach to empower communities to be resilient, independent and find solutions to protect our soil, improve farming methods, reduce damaging activities, as well as improving nutrition through better, more environmentally friendly cooking methods.

The workshops were attended by a variety of community members from Ruarwe, and surrounding villages as far away as Kwenthu Village as well as staff from Nyumba Ya Masambiro and the clinic. On one day a primary school class was invited to join the session to start to inspire positive environmental thoughts and practices in the younger generations. This has been continued by one particularly proactive primary teacher, who has continued to bring his class to NYM to have lessons under the guava tree and discuss and analyse the positive impacts of the E.A.R.T.H workshop principles as put into practice at NYM.

A huge thank you to the team from Nkhata Bay for sharing your knowledge with the community in Ruarwe and your ongoing support as farmers, community members and NYM and clinic staff put the principles of your program into practice.

Community, Donations, Healthcare, Malawi

Malaria medications donation to Ruarwe and Khondowe Health Centres

Phunzira

This malaria season has seen a very sharp rise in malaria cases as a result of various factors including the change in climate. This is a nationwide crisis, which has unfortunately coincided with a Forex and a fuel shortage, hampering the purchase and distribution of the malaria treatment Lumefantrine and Arthemeter (LA). Phunzira has been able to make a donation of LA to both Ruarwe and Khondowe clinics, to hopefully see out the rest of the malaria season.

This donation of medications coincides with a nationwide government initiative to distribute mosquito nets to all households, which started in the Ruarwe area at the beginning of November. Alongside the education provided by the clinic staff at the start of every clinic day we hope to see a drop in malaria rates and no fatalities. We are grateful to be able to help the wider community at a time of need such as this, and will continue to focus on education for the whole community about the importance of using mosquito nets correctly and prevention methods community members can take to reduce their risk of infection.

Donations, Healthcare

Donation of clinical supplies to Ruarwe Health Centre

Phunzira


September saw a donation of medical supplies of bandages and sterile gloves to Ruarwe Health Centre. Surplus supplies, otherwise destined for landfill, from a health facility in the UK were provided to the clinic. As we come up to planting season here in Malawi, the clinic is seeing numerous wounds and injuries from farming. Both the bandages and sterile gloves have come in really helpful to manage these injuries and wounds. The sterile gloves have also come in useful for the delivery of two babies at the clinic in the last few weeks! We are really grateful to the facility in the UK for thinking of the clinic in Ruarwe and for facilitating this donation, which really does make a big difference. Yewo Chomene!

Healthcare, Malawi, Volunteers

Phunzira’s Volunteer Program reopens

Phunzira

After years of closure due the COVID-19 and the subsequent maintenance and reopening phase, we are delighted to announce that Phunzira’s Volunteer Program has reopened for both Nyumba Ya Masambiro and Ruarwe Health Centre. Our first volunteer, Rachel, joined us in Malawi for three months from Mid July to Mid October. A qualified nurse from the USA, Rachel helped daily at Ruarwe Health Centre as well as getting stuck in with community health visits to the wider catchment area with the Health Surveillance Assistants from the clinic team and by running First Aid sessions with both the NYM staff and Clinic Staff.

Rachel was really valued by the whole team, community members as well as staff at Zulunkhuni River Lodge, where all volunteers stay during their placements in Ruarwe. Rachel, we thank you for your hard work, for getting stuck in with so much while you were here and your cheerful demeanour throughout your stay. We would love to see you back some time very soon! Yewo Chomene!

Donations, Fundraising, Healthcare, Malawi

Emergency Malaria Medications

Phunzira

A nationwide shortage of medications remains a critical issue across Malawi. The most recent 44% devaluation of the currency will unfortunately only add to these pressures. At the plea of Ruarwe and Khondowe health centres, Phunzira provided funds in order to purchase necessary and life-saving medicines to stock the two clinics. Both clinics within the catchment area had run out of all antimalarials as well as antibiotics and antipyretics. The clinic in Usisya, 20Km south, which has helped out in the past, also had no stock. 

Ruarwe clinic sees an average of 300 patients per month. In the last three months these numbers have risen unexpectedly and drastically. In August 2023 the clinic treated 800 patients, in September 2023 the clinic treated 1200 patients and in October 2023 the clinic treated 900 patients. Of these, a very large portion were malaria cases, which is a startlingly high rate at this time of year, before the peak malaria season begins in December/January.  Government supply is not able to keep up with these patient numbers, and patients have been dying of treatable illness as a result. 

Phunzira was able to purchase 710 doses of Antimalarials for a wide range of ages, as well as antibiotics and antipyretics whilst further government supply is awaited. While the donation of medications in this way is not sustainable in the long term future, we are extremely grateful to our donors to allow these short-term life-saving donations to take place and we wish that Malawi is able to stabilise her currency and continue to look after her population.

Community, Healthcare, Malawi

Construction of Midwife’s House at Ruarwe Clinic

Phunzira

The largest project undertaken beyond the maintenance and reopening of Nyumba Ya Masambiro this year is the construction of a house for a Nurse-Midwife at Ruarwe Health Centre. This is a project which was requested by the community, Medical Assistant (Doctor) and Health Centre Management Committee. Having housing available is a pre-requisite for government recruitment into any available post. Ruarwe Health Centre sees dozens of deliveries every quarter and at present the Medical Assistant needs to attend all births, as he is the only qualified member of staff present at the clinic. This results in him being on call 24/7, 365 days a year. The Midwife’s House will allow that post to be recruited into with the next round of recruitment, taking all antenatal care, deliveries and post-natal care off the Medical Assistant’s hands and providing safer maternal care for the community.

Construction began with a large-scale shopping trip to buy all the necessary resources. The NYM staff and some community members then began hand-making the necessary bricks for the construction of the building. In a remote area like Ruarwe, there is no access to any power tools so the whole process is being completed by hand. These bricks were then carried up by hand to the construction site. 

Following the construction of the bricks, the land allocated to the Midwife’s House next to the Health Centre had to be prepared. Ruarwe is surrounded by a ring of mountains and the clinic building is in the foothills of these mountains. As a result, the land for the house needed to be levelled out – again an arduous process involving digging into the mountainside and breaking rocks by hand. 

Once levelling had commenced, the foundations could start to be laid – again as a result of the landscape, very high, sound foundations are required to ensure a level and stable base for the construction of the house. The build itself commenced at the end of November and the contractor (from the community) and Health Centre Management Committee aim for completion before the end of December. 

Community, Donations, Healthcare

Medicines for clinics

Phunzira

During the years of NYM’s closure we have been fortunate enough to source funds via trustees for medical emergencies, such as the provision of sanitation units during the three years of covid. Since receiving a recent grant, NYM has assisted two clinics in the catchment area with life-saving medicines during a recent nationwide outbreak of cholera (which has fortunately subsided), as well as recent purchase of antibiotics due to a government shortage affecting clinics nationwide. There have been no antibiotics in either Ruarwe or Khondowe clinics for many months, resulting in unnecessary deaths due to simple illnesses that were otherwise treatable. Both clinics are now stocked for many months to come, by which time the usual government provision of medicines will have hopefully resumed.

Community, Education, Healthcare

Re-opening of NYM

Phunzira

Nyumba ya Masambiro’s free-of-charge community centre in Ruarwe village started opening its doors again to community members after over 3 years of closure due to covid. The centre, originally established in 2010, had also temporarily suspended all of its outreach and support programmes in the catchment area due to lack of funding. The consequences of this closure were sharply felt by the educational community, with pass rates at Ruarwe Primary School dropping from 85% to under 40% due to lack of support with school provisions. During this time, school dropout rates at primary and secondary level rose sharply due to underage pregnancies, which were far lower over the decade that NYM was open. This was primarily due to the regular youth activities (e.g. youth club, sports), provided free-of-charge at the centre, that served as a healthy distraction for children in a remote village with little to occupy their time. These issues were highlighted at NYM’s reopening ceremony on 29th April, attended by chiefs, village headmen, area and village development committees, and representatives of the health and educational institutions in the catchment area. The ceremony was a huge success, filled with speeches, dramas, dances, and demonstrations by NYM nursery children, as well as praise for the grant providers for facilitating the re-opening of the community centre and resumption of its outreach projects in the wider target area. The NYM staff are finally back at work and, although maintenance and construction works will be ongoing for the coming months, the primary focus is now on re-opening the library and youth projects, with the aim of reaching the same level of services provided before closure. Currently five members of staff have been employed during the day (and one night watchman), with the hope of providing further employment opportunities when the centre is fully open later in the year.

Donations, Healthcare, Malawi

Emergency cholera medicines

Phunzira

For over a month there has been a nationwide outbreak of cholera across Malawi. At the request of Ruarwe and Khondowe health centres, Phunzira has sourced funds in order to purchase necessary and life-saving medicines to stock the two clinics. The funds were collected by our Heath Coordinator Philippa during an on-site visit and purchased from a private seller in nearby city Mzuzu, due to poor availability of government stockpiles in all other local pharmacies. The outbreak is hitting worst in southern cities such as Blantyre, where population density is high and sanitation services are poor, however most parts of the country have now sadly felt the devastating and life-threatening consequences of the outbreak, which continues to grow for now.