120 COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS NEEDED TO SAVE LIVES THIS CHRISTMAS
Merlin urgently needs £30,000 to train 120 new community health workers to fight the spread of cholera in Zimbabwe. A gift of just £50 could help to pay for the training of one community health worker to prevent, diagnose and treat cholera.
Please support Merlin's Christmas Appeal and make a donation today.
As cholera once again tightens its grip on the people of Zimbabwe, Merlin is launching our Christmas appeal to help prevent an outbreak as devastating as last year's.
Merlin has been in Zimbabwe since the cholera epidemic claimed over 4,000 lives in 2008. Amazingly, the outbreak only slowed down in August of this year. Since then, Merlin has been training local people to become community health workers with the skills and equipment to prevent more needless deaths and suffering.
But with cholera season approaching, our teams are in need of 120 more community health workers. Merlin has set up oral rehydration points (ORPs) to provide clean and safe drinking water, and we need community health workers to staff these ORPs.
Gladys's story
Gladys was trained by Merlin as a community health worker, so when Stanley was brought to her she recognised the symptoms. There wasn't time to get Stanley to hospital for intravenous treatment - he would have died on the journey. But all Gladys had was the oral rehydration solution that Merlin had given her.
Staying up all night, Gladys somehow managed to spoon feed 20 litres of oral rehydration solution to Stanley. That night, she saved Stanley's life.
Together, we can train more health workers like Gladys to ensure this outbreak of cholera does not become an epidemic.
Your support can provide a long term solution to the people of Zimbabwe and give hope to some of the world's most vulnerable people.
All it takes is £50 that could help pay to train a community health worker. Please, take action by giving a gift today.
With your support, we can help stop cholera in Zimbabwe and save lives around the world.
Thank you.
The difference you can make
- Just £10 could pay for the oral rehydration solution given to people suffering from the severe effects of cholera.
- £50 could cover the cost of training equipment for two community health workers.
- A gift of £250 could pay for the full training of a community health worker to prevent, diagnose and treat cholera.