Harpenden charity to receive £50,000 grant to aid health programmes in Uganda
A Harpenden Spotlight on Africa immunisation clinic in Uganda - Credit: Harpenden Spotlight on Africa
A Harpenden grassroots charity has secured a windfall of funding to aid its health, education and charity work in Africa.
Harpenden Spotlight on Africa will receive grant worth almost £50,000 from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, to support its work on child and maternal health in Uganda.
Harpenden Spotlight on Africa - Credit: Harpenden Spotlight on Africa
The Harpenden-based organisation was chosen alongside 13 other charities for the pot of money, known as the Small Charities Challenge Fund (SCCF).
SCCF grants are given to improve the lives of the most vulnerable and marginalised.
Money made available to Harpenden Spotlight on Africa will support their child and maternal health programmes over a two years, and will help to train community health promoters, improve access to maternal healthcare and increase immunisation coverage for diseases, such as polio.
This clinic was funded by Harpenden Spotlight on Africa, and supports the local community in imminisation, basic healthcare and maternity care. - Credit: Philip Lee Harvey
Harpenden Spotlight on Africa's chair Dr Bethan Rees said: “Our SCCF project aims to champion the importance of immunisation and maternal health. Harpenden Spotlight on Africa supports our busy outpatient clinic that serves 50,000 patients a year thanks to generous personal donations."
Dr Rees, who is also a local GP, added: "This grant demonstrates that our small charity has enormous impact with high standards of operational diligence. This funding will help us to sustainably expand Spotlights on Africa’s healthcare services to more members of eastern Uganda’s vulnerable community. My thanks go to all those who support HSOA’s tireless work.”
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Harpenden MP Bim Afolami, who is also a patron of the charity, celebrated the news: “It is fantastic that this funding has been awarded to HSoA.
"When I met the Community Health Promoters in Bukasakya a few years ago, it was amazing to see the impact of their powerful advocacy for public health in action. There has been a colossal effort by volunteers in Harpenden to secure their first UK Aid grant, supporting access to basic healthcare for thousands of people in the sub-county, especially new mothers and babies.”
