A MEDICAL student from Hanbury is appealing for donations as she prepares to travel to Uganda where she will be working with children, babies and pregnant women.

Eleanor Johns, 22, is currently in the third year of her medical degree at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, and as part of her course is volunteering at Mulago Hospital in Kampala, Uganda for six weeks in August.

"Mulago hospital is one of the busiest hospitals in the world," said Eleanor, "It is a national referral centre accepting the most severe cases in Uganda and East Africa.

" There are only 0.7 accredited surgeons per 100,000 of the population compared with the UK's 15.2 surgeons per 100,000, making more complex cases almost impossible to cope with effectively. For these reasons, I hope to be able to help wherever I can."

Eleanor will also participate in an outreach programme with Alive Medical Centre in Namuwongo slums for people affected by HIV and AIDs and hopes that her experiences will help her fulfil her goal of one day working for non-governmental organisations such as UNICEF in areas where medical care is so vital.

She needs to raise £3,000 for things such as flight tickets, visas and accommodation costs and will mention any kind contributors in a blog she is writing about her journey.

Anyone who would like to donate can do so online at gogetfunding.com/project/uganda-children-and-women-s-health.