Project Gambia; People feeding people

Overall goals

1) Provide school meals for the children in St. Johns school for deaf
2) Provide hearing aids for the children (already donated 2000 hearing aids )
3) Safe school environment including a new school bus, bags, uniform etc
4) Surgical treatment to suitable children to improve hearing
5) Donated a lot of surgical equipment (no longer needed at NHS but good working order) to the teaching hospital in Banjul

We are helping many deaf children in St John's school for deaf in Gambia. We have donated more than 2000 hearing aids which help not only the children, but even adults in Gambia & around. I am also trying to help a child with no external ears by doing a bone anchored hearing aid surgery. NHS Lanarkshire has agreed to sponsor the surgery & Oticon the manufacturer of implant and hearing aid will give these for free. We are also trying get more hearing aids & audiology equipment for the school.

Key UK Colleagues and Partners

NHS Lanarkshire
Project Gambia, registered charity based in Lanarkshire

International Partners

St. John’s School for deaf, Serrakunda, Gambia. The co-operation has been in existence for more than 5 years

Sustainable development goals

• SDG 1 - No poverty
• SDG 2 - Zero hunger
• SDG 3 - Good health and well-being
• SDG 4 - Quality education

Funding source

Donation of old hearing aids from NHS Lanarkshire
Project Gambia has fundraising programmes

Project origin

It started via one of the co-ordinators whom I came into contact and explained to him about my project of salvaging hearing aids & surgical equipments. From there it has gone from strength to strength .

Evidence of need

Project Gambia were delivering programmes.

Project areas

Education
Healthcare improvements

Project activities

1) Provide school meals for the children in St. Johns school for deaf
2) Provide hearing aids for the children
3) Safe school environment including a new school bus , bags, uniform etc
4) Surgical treatment to suitable children to improve hearing; ex bone anchored hearing aids

Changes

To improve the life of these 300 deaf children
Try and make their hearing as normal as possible with hearing aids
Nutritional support

Next steps

Visiting the StJohn’s school in Gambia and assess the children regarding their hearing.
I am planning to take my wife who is a GP to also help to develop the primary care links.

Challenges

One of the children with no external ears has been rejected a Visa to travel to Scotland for surgery & assessment at Monklands Hospital. Support with the Visa would have made a difference
Acquiring more materials for hearing aid moulds & tubing and battery

Mitigating challenges

Central support with the Visa would have made a difference

Project gains

• leadership
• teamwork
• clinical
• patient
• resilience