PONT - a partnership to fight poverty

Ambulance Service Launched in Mbale

Newsflashes

After 2 years of preparation PONT has helped launch an ambulance service in Mbale. You can read about this exciting development here.

Multi-disciplinary Team returns from Uganda

Newsflashes

November 2010

One of the largest PONT teams to date has just returned home from Uganda, after a week of intense activity. The team was made up of 24 professionals including six engineers, five GP’s, four midwives, 3 ambulance staff, 2 hospital consultants, a nurse, and the Chief Medical Officer for Wales.

The central focus of the team was to launch an innovative pilot ambulance service, using a combination of pushbike and motorbike ambulances. These will help evacuate emergencies out of the remote mountain villages in the Mbale region, which is twinned with Rhondda Cynon Taff. The idea for the ambulances was developed by Paramedic Julian Newton and his team, who had witnessed on previous visits mothers losing their lives in labour after being carried to hospital on the back of a bicycle.

Eyewitness Reports of Mbale Landslide Disaster

Newsflashes

A BBC article detailing the effects of the recent landslide in Mbale, and PONT's response to the disaster.

General

Please Help Landslide Disaster Appeal

Eyewitnesses speak of parallels with Aberfan disaster

Following heavy rains on March the 1st 2010, landslides devastated large parts of the Bududa area of Mbale. Over 300 people are missing or dead, including over 100 children trying to return home from school. More than 2000 people have been left homeless and without any means of making a living or providing for their families. They urgently need your support.

Goat rearing transforming the lives of families

General

This video is an excerpt from a short film one of our partners made describing the goat rearing project which is designed to help orphans and needy children in Mbale.

Tackling climate change in Mbale

Newsflashes

One million trees will be planted in Mbale in an effort to counter the effects of climate change in the region.

The project is one of the first fruits of the relationship between Wales and Mbale which has grown out of the PONT link.

You can read about it on the BBC web site here.

Further information on Bududa Landslide

Newsflashes

On Monday March 1 2010 there was a major disaster in Bududa district, which is part of the region we are twinned with in PONT. For several days there was torrential rain. A 200m wide landslide occurred that destroyed 3 villages. The weather had already made many roads impassable, with the result that nearest remaining usable road access was 4 or 5 hours walk away. Consequently it was not possible to get large mechanical equipment to the area, so digging had to be with bare hands and shovels.

Due to a swollen river children were unable to complete their journey home from school earlier. They took shelter from thre rains in a building, which was then taken in the mudslide. This has a particular poignancy for us because close to Pontypridd is the village of Aberfan. There, in 1966, a coal tip slid down on top of the primary school and wiped out an entire generation, bar a couple of survivors. Not something we would wish to have in common with our partner community.

University honours founders of PONT

General

Tuesday 15th December:

The University of Glamorgan today presented the Chancellor's medal to the founders of PONT in recognition of their contribution to the fight against poverty.

Endoscopy Suite for Mbale Hospital

Hospital

New health services will be available to hundreds of thousands of people in Africa this summer as a result of the links between Pontypridd and Uganda.