03 July 2023 (Last updated: 14 Jul 2023 16:37)
Help us heal the hands of Malawi by taking part in the BOLOS Challenge and raising vital funds for the Lilongwe Institute of Orthopaedics and Neurosurgery (LION) project.
Launched by the British Society for Surgery of the Hand (BSSH), Osteotec and Ortho Consulting Group, we will be participating in a pentathlon challenge of running, walking, cycling, swimming, sailing and rowing all over the UK and around the world, with donations helping support free of charge treatment for patients at the new, purpose-built centre. And we need you to help us! We have set ourselves the goal of collectively circumnavigating and traversing Lake Malawi, the country's beautiful Lake of Stars, by the end of August and every kilometre counts!
Our targets:
To RUN / WALK around Lake Malawi: 1,718km
To CYCLE around Lake Malawi: 1,718km
To ROW the length of Lake Malawi: 560km
To SWIM across Lake Malawi: 75km
To SAIL across Lake Malawi: 75km
WHERE DOES THE FUNDRAISING GO?
The Lilongwe Institute of Orthopaedics and Neurosurgery (LION) is a new purpose-built healthcare facility for treating injured Malawi patients free of charge. Launched in January 2023, the BSSH and the British Association of Hand Therapists (BAHT) will assist LION in the delivery of treatment for elective and traumatic conditions of the hand for five years, collaborating with local staff to run specialist hand clinics and regular hand trauma and elective lists, while promoting sustainability through education and training.
The team comprises a consultant hand surgeon, a surgical trainee and a hand therapist who are all working in their own time for free. All the donations will go directly towards the costs of vital surgical instruments, dressings as well as resources for teaching, which are scarce in this low-resource setting. The funds will also cover the basic travel, accommodation and local transport expenses for the BSSH / BAHT team of volunteers, to enable them to work at the LION Hospital on a daily basis for the duration of the five-year project.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
JOIN THE BOLOS CHALLENGE
You can join us as an individual or as a team. Which hand unit can circumnavigate Lake Malawi the quickest or contribute the most km to the challenge?
1. Set up a fundraising page on JustGiving
Join the challenge as a team or an individual by setting up a JustGiving page which is directly linked to the BSSH LION Malawi campaign here:
https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/lionhandunit
Find out how to set up a team on JustGiving
Please include "BOLOS" in your fundraising page title
2. Share your page with family, friends, colleagues
Sharing your page not only raises awareness of this incredible project and how you are supporting, but may also increase the amount you fundraise. Share as far as you can!
3. Log your distance
Update the total BOLOS challenge distance by logging your km traveled here. You can do this after each activity or provide a total at the end of your challenge.
4. Keep us updated!
We would love to see your efforts in photos and updates. Ensure you mention @BSSHand on social media posts.
DONATE
You can still support without joining the challenge by donating. Anything you can give will be greatly received, and help transform the lives of those who have been affected by hand trauma and disability in a limited resource setting.
You can send a one off donation via JustGiving here.
Read more about the LION project here
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