About Us
Lung Health Centre is established to save lives by contributing to increase understanding of lung diseases in Sierra Leone, starting with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Asthma and the causative factors.
The idea and passion for a greater understanding and management of the deep underlying and contributory causes of respiratory diseases have been a core focus to Mrs Adama Fofana, backed by her experience of working in multi-disciplinary clinical research teams at the Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Trust. Adama, together with her husband James Fofana, another visionary, began discussions on how best to apply the ideas to help people back home – Sierra Leone.
These discussions led to the birth of Lung Health Centre (LHC), which was subsequently registered with the the Charity Commission UK & Wales and as a Non-Governmental Organisation Sierra Leone.
The aim of LHC is to establish an institution solely dedicated to conducting diagnosis and treatment of COPD and Asthma as a starting point and holistic research into their causative factors to education the populace about their cause and possible preventive actions. As our capacity increases, we will start diagnosing and treating other lung disease. These diseases will be added one at a time to enable us to provide the best service without overwhelming our capacity. We are currently working on sponsoring the Non-Communicable Disease Department at the Ministry of Health and Sanitation Sierra Leone to draw up the country’s first COPD guideline to diagnose and treat patients.
Our Team
Mrs
Adama
Fofana
Co-Founder
& Trustee
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Adama was born in a small village called Yambama in Bo District, Southern Province of Sierra Leone. At the outbreak of Sierra Leone civil war, Adama and her family were displaced to bushes escape the rebels. In 1998, she relocated to South Africa where she attended boarding school. In 2003, Adama moved to the UK where she lives in the Cambridgeshire area with her husband and two children. She a degree in science and 15 years’ experience working at Royal Papworth Hospital where her passion for healthy lungs developed.
In 2021, Adama along with her husband founded Lung Health Centre. Through the grace of God, the organisation is registered in the UK as a non-profit (Charity No: 1194481) and in Sierra Leone (SL Reg: INGO/240/2022-2023). We sponsored and collaborated with the Ministry of Health Sierra Leone to produce the country’s first ever Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) guideline. Many people suffering from lung disease in Sierra Leone are undiagnosed and untreated. Most cannot afford medical treatment, so we are making it our mission to change this.
Mr
James Edward
Fofana
Co-Founder,
Finance
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James was born in Bo, the second largest city in Sierra Leone. His late dad was a Clergyman and his mum served in a ministerial role at the church. They are both very well known in the city of Bo. He was brought up with strong religious (Christian) values that taught him to love and care about others.
James has seen the demoralising effect of poverty, war and the destruction of livelihoods caused by man’s share inhumanity to another. These experiences have inspired him to always do his best to help others in dire need. It is that same inspiration, along with his wife’s, that led to the creation of Lung Health Centre.
Dr
Kseniia
Biesludtseva
Trustee,
Respiratory Physician
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Qualified overseas medical doctor with 13+ years clinical experience in internal medicine, pulmonology, critical pulmonology, respiratory infections, antibacterial treatment, great experience in COVID-19 moderate and severe patients, lung thrombotic disorders. Strong academic knowledge, outstanding scientific achievements, and clinical experience. Scientific researcher with published scientific work. Experienced scientific investigator in randomized clinical trials. Member of European Respiratory Society and voluntary faculty of annual European Respiratory Congress. Highly motivated, creative, collaborative clinician respected amongst colleagues and patients. Currently takes position of Health Adviser in Royal Papworth Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
Dr
Steven Edward
Kaindaneh
Trustee,
Sierra Leone Governance Lead
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Steven Kaindaneh is a private consultant involved in a number of projects in Sierra Leone.
Steven has worked for more than 20 years in the humanitarian aid sector, working with different international aid agencies in African countries. He has acquired extensive experience in the application of participatory research approaches to strengthen local capacities, contribute to knowledge and to plan socioeconomic development interventions.
He currently shares his time between his private consultancy work, Trusteeship at Lung Health Centre and voluntarily supporting communities affected by mining. Presently, his major projects include, managing an education project for children with disability in Bombali and Karene Districts – Sierra Leone and verifying the performance of the Sierra Leone Police against set indicators in the Western Area of Sierra Leone.
Ms
Georgina Jane
Beckford Forbes
Trustee,
Fundraising Lead
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Georgina was born in Southwest London, where she lived with her father and grandmother until leaving for university. Although her formal education is in Fine art and Printmaking, Georgina has always had a passion for the Third Sector, specifically promoting charitable activity and fundraising. She has mainly worked as a Community Fundraiser and has held roles with charities such as the Wildlife Trust BCN, Romsey Mill, East Anglian Air Ambulance and is currently the Cambridge Development Lead for a charity offering free counselling and support to women in crisis across Cambridgeshire.
She is a “bigger picture” person who enjoys problem-solving, motivating positive change and applying creative solutions to help bring people together over causes that she is authentically passionate about. “I am just delighted to be a part of the Lung Health Centre (LHC) team as we work to bring life-saving Lung Health medical expertise and training to the people of Sierra Leone. Georgina lives just outside Cambridge, with two of her three sons, Tiber the Border Collie and four unnamed fish.