West charity nets £54k for Africans
Initially, the money was used to help combat the effects of a severe cholera outbreak, but recently it has helped the Red Cross to provide support for orphans and the elderly, following the effect of Aids in KwaZulu Natal, an area more than half the size of England.
The money has mostly been spent on buildings. At first, pit latrines and fresh water were supplied to schools and villages in remote rural areas. Then a new nursery classroom was built in a school to replace one wrecked in a storm.
Since 2006, two Red Cross community centres have been funded, one in Zululand, the other in a township near Ladysmith. These centres provide creche and meal facilities for young orphans, enabling their older siblings to attend school.
Numbers of orphans are increasing rapidly in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, but nowhere is the situation worse than South Africa, which has the highest number of HIV/Aids sufferers in the world.
In 2007, 28 per cent of South African women attending ante-natal clinics were HIV/Aids positive. In KwaZulu Natal, the rate was 37.4 per cent.
The community centres are also used for volunteer training to locate those in greatest need and provide relief to clients in their remote rural homes, and as disaster relief centres, providing help and materials when severe storms, floods or fires occur.
In remote areas, a visit to the doctor can be a walk lasting several days and the siting of more local relief centres is an important part of the Red Cross strategy for the future.
Voices' next fundraising event is a concert by the Mendip Male Voice choir at Wesley Methodist Church, Frome, on Saturday starting at 7.30pm. Proceeds will be shared with the Norton Down Africa Fund which is raising money for school projects in Kenya. Tickets, priced £8, are available from 01373 303901, 01761 414067, or on the door.
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