The Kambia Appeal is a small UK-registered charity and a registered international NGO working in Sierra Leone, West Africa. We are based in Cheltenham in Gloucestershire and have a permanent office and residence in Kambia Town. Our charitable objective is to improve health in Kambia District.
Our Trustees
- Richard Kerr-Wilson, FRCS (Ed) FRCOG - Founding Trustee
- John Kloer, FCA - Treasurer
- Dr Sean Elyan, MD, FRCP, FRCR
- Dame Janet Trotter, DBE
- Shona Lockyer
Our Staff
- James Dowling - Project Director, UK
- Moses Kabba - Project Manager, Sierra Leone
Registered UK Charity No. 1014034
History of The Kambia Appeal
The Kambia Appeal, formerly The Kambia Hospital Appeal, was founded in July 1992, following a request for support from a charity worker from Kambia during a visit to Cheltenham. Between 1992 and 1999 the Appeal provided help for the Kambia Hospital in the form of training for staff, equipment, regular drugs supplies and a number of motorbikes to enable doctors and nurses to reach villages. The Rotary Club also provided money for a Landrover. The Appeal’s work was resourced through fundraising events like concerts, donations and two Comic Relief grants.
In February 1999, during the Sierra Leone civil war, the Kambia Hospital was attacked, looted and burnt by rebels, and needed to be completely rebuilt. Everything was destroyed. Doors, windows, roofs, beds and equipment were all burned. Peace was declared in 2001, and in 2004 the hospital was re-open, after rehabilitation by the European Union. In 2005, The Kambia Hospital Appeal renewed its programme to improve maternal health with a community education film called Belleh Woman, Go Di Right Side.
Since then, The Kambia Appeal has focused its efforts on identifying and addressing the causes of maternal and child mortality, following the guidelines of the Safe Motherhood initiative and in line with the aims of the Millennium Development Goals.
