I attended a networking meeting at Temujin Restaurant in Huddersfield where  Ashley Peatfield the founder of The Funzi and Bodo Trust gave a talk about the charity he set up three years ago following a visit to Funzi Island

There, he found an Island with a population living without any medical facilities following the closure of the only clinic. It was virtually impossible to leave the island to seek medical facilities and even when on the mainland  it was a long arduous journey to the nearest clinic. Death rates on the island were very high as the island was often gripped with epidemics such as cholera.

Ashley was advised that it would cost just £4,000 to £5,000 per annum to run a medical clinic for a year so. moved by the plight of the islanders, he returned to the UK and set about raising funds to reopen the clinic. He returned to the island to help with the renovations. Once completed doctors and nurses were brought in and subsequently 2 more clinics have been opened, one on the island at Bodo and one on the mainland.  Fund raising has continued and many people including schools and Rotary groups have got behind the project helping to raise funds which have enabled the trust to buy matresses, medicines and fuel for their water ambulances. The charity now works closely with the government health officials to distribute water purification tablets and spread health education.

Many projects have been undertaken, small steps, but each one has significantly improved the existence of the Funzi Island population. Wells have been installed  providing a clean source of water for drinking or washing hands. Poor sanitation is the cause of much illness so the new wells are sealed to keep the water clean  and they are regularly cleaned.

The fund is about to open a free lending library on Funzi Island. Work is hard to find in Kenya and unemployment creates a cycle of poverty for families. Lending libraries are rare in Kenya and to have one in a remote location like Funzi is extraordinary. A second libruary is being planned for Bodo.

Many individuals have also been helped including a tailor from Bodo who had had a deep leg wound for four years. It bled daily until the trust stepped in and arranged a major tissue transplant operation. They are also providing food for his family of 8 whilst he is recovering. Intensive treatment is being funded for a young girl with muscle wastage due to poor nutrition. She collapsed and was unable to move for several weeks.

All these projects and funding for individual treatments costs money. Although lives have been much improved, so much more needs to be done just to give people a very basic standard of living.

Help in the form of donations and fund raising is always welcome. There are no paid staff in the UK,only its medical team in the villages recieve payment.

To find out more about this charity, please visit the web site www.funzi.org.uk