July Malawi Update

It is for people like this that the Sunuzi Health Centre exists… Allan Mitochi (a valued employee of FVM) and his family, Pauline, Razack and Niyya.

WILL YOU PARTNER WITH YOUR MALAWIAN FAMILY IN CRISIS?

Until February 2025, Gloria Kantikana had a rewarding and essential job administering a well-funded healthcare initiative in Malawi through funding from USAID. When this funding was abruptly terminated, hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people were suddenly left without basic health services and lifesaving drugs in Malawi. HIV – AIDS patients, to their horror, were left without essential medications and personnel to administer them … a death sentence.

To compound the crisis, Malawi spends more servicing its external debt than is spent on healthcare within the country.

Gloria Kantikana was terminated in April 2025 … but there was a silver lining. Future Vision Ministries selected her as the top candidate for the position of Sunuzi Health Centre Administrator. Gloria has a Nursing/Midwifery degree and a Masters Degree as well as years of experience as the Head Nurse at a rural health centre in Southern Malawi in addition to the administrative roles undertaken with external NGO funding.

Here is her current report:

Protecting Our Community: Strengthening Ebola Preparedness and Response at Sunuzi Health Centre

A Call for Partnership and Support

Ebola Virus Disease remains one of the most serious public health threats in Africa causing severe illness, high mortality, and significant social and economic disruption. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has declared recent Ebola outbreaks a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS), highlighting the need for coordinated preparedness across Africa. Although, Malawi has not recorded any confirmed cases of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), the risk of cross-border transmission remains a serious public health concern. Ongoing outbreaks in neighboring countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, have highlighted the urgent need for every health facility to be prepared to detect, respond to, and contain a potential outbreak before it spreads.

Malawi’s strategic location, frequent movement of people across borders, and an already overstretched health system make preparedness not just important but essential. Investing in prevention today is far more effective and less costly than responding to an outbreak tomorrow.

Why Sunuzi Health Centre Needs Your Support

Every day, mothers will bring sick children to Sunuzi Health Centre seeking hope and healing. While Malawi has not yet recorded an Ebola case, one suspected infection could overwhelm a rural health facility that lacks the equipment and training needed to respond safely. Your support can help ensure that our healthcare workers are ready before that day comes. Sunuzi Health Centre provides essential healthcare services to more than 30,000 people and serves as the first point of contact for many patients with infectious illnesses. In the event of a suspected Ebola case, the health centre must be equipped to respond rapidly while protecting patients, healthcare workers, and the surrounding community.

To strengthen our preparedness, we require support to:

Train healthcare workers in Ebola case identification, management, and infection prevention.
Procure Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for frontline staff.
Strengthen infection prevention and control (IPC) measures.
Purchase screening and triage equipment for early detection.
Establish and equip isolation and emergency response areas.
Procure hand hygiene and disinfection supplies.
Conduct community awareness and risk communication activities to promote early reporting and prevention.

A Critical Funding Gap
As external funding declines, rural health facilities such as Sunuzi Health Centre face increasing challenges in maintaining the level of preparedness needed to protect vulnerable communities. Without timely support, our capacity to respond effectively to emerging public health threats will be significantly compromised.

Your Support Can Save Lives
Preparedness cannot wait until an outbreak begins. By investing today, you are helping protect healthcare workers, safeguard vulnerable families, and strengthen Malawi’s frontline defense against Ebola and other emerging infectious diseases. We invite you to partner with Sunuzi Health Centre in building a safer, healthier future for our community.

By partnering with Sunuzi Health Centre, you will be investing in stronger health security, protecting vulnerable families, and helping build a more resilient healthcare system for rural Malawi.

Together, we can protect lives, strengthen resilience, and safeguard the future of Sunuzi community.

Gloria Kantikana (Health Centre Administrator), Dr Khumbo Kalua( Ophthalmologist and Advisory Board Member) and Newton Sindo(Country Manager) conferring in the waiting and triage area.

We are thankful to report that in response to the last FVM Newsletter we have now received “seed sponsorship” for the following Sunuzi Health Centre facilities.

Labour and Delivery Room
$15,096 US
Eye Clinic and Non – Communicable Disease (Hypertension, Diabetes and Cervical Cancer) Room
$2,953 US (partially funded)
Registration, Waiting and and Triage area (serving 200 – 300 patients each day)
$3,548 US
Prenatal Clinic Room
$1,858.65 US
PMCT (Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission) Room
$541.19 US

WOULD YOU COME ALONGSIDE FVM TO “SEED” THE FOLLOWING ROOMS AS OUTLINED IN ANITA’S NEWSLETTER?

POST NATAL ROOM
$5,374.50 US
EMERGENCY TREATMENT ROOM
$4,936.07 US
HIV – AIDS (TESTING, TREATMANT AND COUNSELLING) ROOM
$4,171.41 US
UNDER 5 CLINIC
$4,452.57 US

YOU CAN CLICK ON THE BUTTON IN ANITA’S NEWSLETTER (NOW POSTED ON THE WEBSITE) TO SEE ADDITIONAL ROOMS AND THE PRECISE BREAKDOWN OF EACH PIECE OF EQUIPMENT.

Would you be my friend and sponsor the Under 5 Clinic at the Sunuzi Health Centre shown here?