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Half of the SOS Medical Centres established worldwide are located in Africa, where many countries are confronted with huge problems relating to poor diet and malnutrition, acts of war and violence, and epidemics. In Angola, Mozambique, Burundi, Togo, Uganda, the Gambia and many other countries, SOS hospitals and clinics cater above all for the needs of children, women and mothers. Patients waiting outside the medical centre - Photo: SOS Archives Medical care as community service These medical centres are often a last resort and source of help for those in greatest need. Like all SOS Children's Village facilities, many of these medical centres also operate health-based programmes designed to produce long-term results. In this respect the SOS Medical Centre in Malawi's capital Lilongwe is a model facility. As Stephen Bowler, Director of SOS Children's Villages Malawi, puts it, "The centre fills a gap in the capital's healthcare system". The work of the SOS Medical Centre in Lilongwe focuses on providing basic healthcare, the prevention of disease and therapy. Since the clinic opened in 1997, more than 12,000 people have benefited from the medical services available, at least half of them children. Little patient of the rehabilitation programme - Photo: SOS Archives Every day an average of 70 people come to the clinic, about 70 % of whom are thought to be HIV-positive by the senior physician there. In view of these dramatic figures, a number of initiatives have been launched at the centre, including counselling and education in the field of Aids prevention, HIV workshops for SOS Children's Village staff and the local community, and care for Aids patients and support for their families. The second main field of work at the centre relates to a rehabilitation programme for children with special needs offering physiotherapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy. As a supporting measure, a number of classes at the SOS Primary School are run as integrated classes, with special support provided for children with speech defects and learning problems. In the meantime the SOS Medical Centre in Lilongwe has established itself as a key medical facility in Malawi, one which - like all SOS Medical Centres - also makes a basic contribution in terms of community service. While talking about the tremendous challenges being faced by the health sector in African countries, Steven Bowler said, "There is a great need for health services here, and no organisation can meet all the requirements alone. We are aware of this fact at the SOS Medical Centre, and the aim is to employ our resources as efficiently as possible in providing whatever help we can."