Donations sought for Malawi appeal

FOR those who may be dusting off the post-Christmas cobwebs, a rummage through the cupboards might be in order – as Mayo aid volunteers seek a plethora of items to send to Malawi.
Neale woman Marie O’Malley is at the forefront of a mammoth collection to send containers to one of Africa’s most impoverished countries with an urgent call issued to the general public to donate items of clothing, blankets, soaps, sheets and medical supplies.
Furthermore, school books, copies and stationery are also sought for a country where the average industrial wage is a little over a euro a day.
“The appeal is for medical supplies to send to Malawi, items which are in extremely short supply. There is very little in the country and following our trip in November of last year, a group of nurses identified the need for medical and school supplies. The total cost of sending over one container, between shipping and transport to and from each location, is approximately €4,000. We are hoping to send one with a view to perhaps arranging another container at a later date,” said Marie.
Marie, who has travelled to southern Africa on two previous occasions to carry out aid work with the Tracy Piggott foundation ‘Playing for Life’, has described living conditions there as ‘horrendous’.
“Life expectancy is in the mid-thirties and the main cause of death is the AIDS virus, about which there is very little education. It is really holding back the development of the country. Furthermore, a basic lack of sanitation means people are dying from treatable diseases such as malaria and TB. Medical staff at hospitals, the majority of the time, are unable to treat patients due to a basic lack of supplies,” said Marie.

For further information please contact Marie O’Malley on 087 6305369