The Alleluya Band
Alleluya band leaves for Italy on Tuesday, 9 June 2015 with one major purpose: to raise funds for the Comfort Community Hospital.
The band will not only represent Andiamo Youth Cooperative Trust (AYCT) born in 1984 but also thousands of people that are being treated at the health facility.
Since these are annual tours, we risk taking many things for granted. We risk not being grateful to the people that have always supported us both in Italy and Malawi. Yes, we risk overlooking the impact your support has on the people here. This is the time to tell all of you who have supported Alleluya band (too many to mention by name), that your support is changing lives of many here in Malawi.
The Operating Theatre at Comfort Community Hospital
Comfort Community Hospital continues to serve the community in a special way and is reaching to many people. Records have shown that over 60,000 patients were treated last year alone and this year we may reach 100,000. In this way, we have prevented many deaths that could have occurred without the facility.
For example, recently Ministry of Health has reported that 9,107 patients died at its health facilities from July to December 2014. Out of these deaths, the reports says 380 were maternal, 2,383 neonatal, 4,114 stillbirths. The leading four causes of death among children under the age of five were Malaria (58%), acute respiratory infections (19.4%), malnutrition (11.9%) and diarrhea (10.8%).
While 9,107 deaths are a huge concern, the Minister of Health, Jean Kalilani is quoted in the papers that “these deaths represent the tip of the iceberg as many more may occur in the communities or are underreported in the facilities.” Thank God that through your support we have avoided some more deaths!
This is why when the Alleluya band, born in 1978 will be performing in Italy, don’t just look at the 14 members. Visualize thousands, if not millions of people saying, “Thank you/Grazie”. Know that we are just many knocking at your door, asking for your continued support.
By P.K.B