Twinning Sierra Leone

Introduction

Our paediatricians, nurses and other professionals regularly travel to Sierra Leone to exchange knowledge and support the professionals working there.

From Barcelona, we also try to improve the facilities there and provide them with materials. In addition, we have founded a nursing school for training and to create local job opportunities.

Twinning programmes

Apadrina Programme

Healthcare is not 100% public in Sierra Leone, so people with limited resources put off going to hospital when sick. At times, they come in too late, when their illness has advanced too far.

To prevent these situations, we have promoted the Apadrina Programme, in which you can sponsor a child's treatment in Sierra Leone. This programme has one goal: raise funds to treat these families free of charge.

Thanks to this programme, we are able to care for and improve the health of some 1,900 children each year.

Sierra Leone Malnutrition Program

We are taking on the problem of malnutrition in rural villages around the town of Lunsar, in Sierra Leone, where maternal and infant mortality rates are very high. And we are doing so from all areas: prevention, support and treatment, with training and nutrition programmes, medical treatment and individual case monitoring.

The actions we carry out include the implementation of treatment protocols in the hospital and within the community, and promoting programmes to improve the health education and nutritional knowledge of mothers. All this aims to reduce mortality caused by malnutrition and related diseases.

The programme cares for more than 5,700 children and 3,000 pregnant women each year.

Africa smiles

This programme that we are carrying out at the Saint John of God Hospital allows children to receive good dental care. Each year, more than 350 patients receive dental treatment and nearly 600 children receive an oral check-up at their school.

Its main objectives are:

• To provide the centre with adequate dental facilities, including a new dental chair.
• Train nursing school professionals in dental procedures.
• Carry out campaigns to raise awareness of oral hygiene in schools, in the hospital itself and in villages.
• Attend the population that cannot finance the visit, since in Sierra Leone there is no public health.