Isilimela Hospital's Women's Health Unit

Dear friends, family and colleagues,

We are a group of friends, chiefly from the Master's in Global Health Course at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, who will be running a half marathon in Stockholm on 20 April 2024 to raise funds to support the Isilimela Hospital Women's Health Unit in South Africa.

Background

Isilimela Hospital is a 100-bed deeply-rural District Hospital providing care to a population of over 100 000 people in the Port St Johns area in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.

The area is one of the poorest in the country, with major challenges in terms of health care access for much of the population. This is reflected in the Maternal Mortality Ratio of 173,7/100 00 live births (in Sweden it is 5/100 000), high teenage pregnancy rate (20,7 % compared to a national average of 13,9%. Sweden 4%). Poor access to family planning is reflected in the low Couple Year Protection Rate (28,7%, national average 45%). Cervical Cancer screening coverage is only 29% (target 80%), and we regularly treat women at advanced stages of this preventable disease.

Women accessing sexual and reproductive health services at the hospital up to recently did so through the overcrowded and poorly equipped outpatient area, where privacy and dignity were often compromised.

The motivated clinical team at Isilimela has now created a safe and private space to provide dignified and high quality services for women's health. The aim of this center is to provide women’s health services in a convenient, private and efficient manner.

They now need funds for equipment to continue to strengthen this service.

Our Funding Goal : 21 098 SEK*

The total race distance is 21098 meters.

We hope to raise x1 SEK (Swedish Crown) for every meter we run.

This amount could, for example, cover the full cost of a semi-portable Ultrasound Machine - a piece of equipment that is high up on the list of their needs.

Every contributions is welcome and will be put to good use.

*This amounts to approximately

38 1778 ZAR / 1860 Euros / 1590 GBP / 2020 USD

Other bits of info:

-The funds will be channeled through the Hlumisa Rural Health Foundation, a Nonprofit Organisation (NPO) established by Isilimela hospital staff

-For more about the hospital: Instagram isilimelaclinicalteam

-For more info on the Stockholm half marathon we will be running please visit the following Website: https://www.stockholmmarathon.se/premiarhalvan/

Meet the half-marathon running crew:

Lara

Arne

Luca

Celia

Syd

Anna

Saskia

Salome

Simon

Please on't hesitate to reach out to us - either directly or through this platform - for further information, should you have any questions.