2025 11 19 Masanga Clinic – Sierra Leone – Update

Masanga Hospital is a small rural hospital in central Sierra Leone that provides both outpatient and inpatient care. In recent years, illnesses such as high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes have become much more common, now causing over 40% of all deaths in the country.

To help tackle this, the hospital started a weekly clinic in 2023 focused on preventing and managing these long-term conditions. Patients are reviewed regularly, receive vital medication to prevent complications and are supported to stay well. Because healthcare in Sierra Leone must be paid for privately—and poverty is widespread—many people cannot afford the medications they need.

The NCD clinic therefore aims to provide free check-ups, follow-up appointments, and essential medications, relying entirely on outside funding to make this possible.

Thanks to the Rotary Club of Guildford Wey’s generous contribution, the clinic has been able to make huge improvements. Your support has provided laptops to keep proper medical records and gather data for research, as well as reliable blood pressure monitors and even portable ECG machines to detect heart problems early. These tools have dramatically raised the standard of care and are making a real difference in the lives of people who otherwise would not have access to treatment.

Purple4Polio

Since 1986, Rotary International has been leading the fight against Polio,
working with the World Health Organisation and Governments to vaccinate all the world’s children. Today the wild Polio virus exists only in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
When children receive the vaccine, their little finger is marked with a purple dye. To publicise the Polio Eradication programme, Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland plants purple Crocus in public places. The Rotary Club of Guildford Wey, a number of whose members live in Shalford, acquired 4000 Purple Crocus Bulbs and planted them on Saturday 25th October in the grass area opposite Snooty’s Groceries next to the Orchard. Our thanks to Shalford Councillors Dominique Williams & Catherine Houston for obtaining Council permission for the planting and Rotary organiser and Shalford resident Andrew Jackson for organising the project for Rotary. We would also like to thank volunteers who assisted Rotary in the day with special thanks to Douglas Reid of the Shalford, Peasmarsh & Chilworth (SCP) Garden Club.

The Snooty Fox Café supplied the volunteers with sausage rolls & chips which were most welcome.
For picture gallery of volunteers click Here