Imagine an amazing cycling trip, a life-changing experience, all whilst helping an incredible charity. Here’s how you can cycle through Zanzibar and support HIPZ in their life-saving work:
What comes to mind when you think of Zanzibar? White sandy beaches, clear blue seas, Freddie Mercury…? Zanzibar is a holiday-maker’s dream but it is also home to 1.3 million people who are living with an under-resourced health care system. This idyllic island has just one doctor to every 20,000 people. To put this into context, the UK has one doctor to every 400 people.
In 2007, the charity Health Improvement Project Zanzibar (HIPZ) started working in Makunduchi Hospital. At the time there were no doctors, non-existent management and extremely run down, dilapidated facilities. There were high levels of infant and maternal mortality, malnutrition, and disease. HIPZ’s involvement has led to a reduction in child and maternal mortality, a significant improvement in facilities, and an increase in trained staff. This success led to HIPZ supporting a second hospital, Kivunge, in 2012. HIPZ is unique in the way that it works, ensuring that it never replaces the statutory responsibilities of the government. You can read more here. (more…)
Sounds great right? Well it is, but I’d like to get serious for a few moments, if that’s OK? We’ve seen a lot of traumatic events take place in 2015 with so much sadness and heart ache affecting so many innocent lives all over the world. The media has been filled with images of parents and children fleeing their homes, seeking asylum and in far too many cases, not making it to safety. We’ve seen wars, terrorism, natural disasters…so many different events in one year where children’s lives have been severely impacted.
