COMMENTARIES
 
 

A Chance To Help The Poorest People On Earth

by Angela Burns-Piper

We very often take life for granted. Life....food, clothes, shelter, health, our very being. But for millions of people in Ethiopia, every day presents an enormous challenge to their existence. Thanks to an organization called ETHIOPIAID, a registered charity in England and Wales, the plight of a considerable number of Ethiopians will be made a little easier.

Ethiopiaid was founded ten years ago by Alec Reed CBE, who began raising money for projects that would give more Ethiopians a future of hope. "At that time, I was acutely aware that the terrible problems afflicting Ethiopia were being forgotten by almost everyone, following the considerable publicity that had surrounded the terrible famines of the 1980s," he said as he recalled the harrowing pictures on television of gaunt, skeleton-like children and the barren cropless landscape in the country which is said to have the poorest people on earth.

Since 1989, Ethiopiaid has assisted with projects that have transformed the level of sanitation, saved children from diseases such as typhoid, dysentery and cholera, projects that have taught young people real skills from which they can make a living, projects such as the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital and the Menagesha Home for Disabled Children which have cured thousands of chronic health problems.

Mr. Reed has been back to Ethiopia every two years to assess progress and ensure that the aid is being used wisely. "When I first visited Ethiopia, the situation was unbearable: to walk the streets and see children alone and in despair, without food or clothes, brought tears to all but the hardened human being. The task seemed endless, the need infinite...Yet now when I go back, I can see the real changes that have happened. There are more children receiving education, more babies given basic healthcare, fewer open air sewers and more shops and businesses." However, he said he is saddened to see the weight of tragedy which still bears down on the country.

 
With this in mind, and in observation of Ethiopiaid's 10th anniversary, the Founder and Voluntary Chairman pleads for the continued support for the people of Ethiopia. September 11, 1999 was celebrated as Ethiopiaid day. In Ethiopia, they use a different calendar and September 11th was the Ethiopian New year. With the support of people across the world, Ethiopiaid has established at least ten projects.
 
 
The Awassa Water Project enables the people of Awassa to enjoy clean water, the Baby-feeding Project is thriving and mothers are becoming more self-sufficient, donations to the Mobile Children's Unit means that rootless children now have access to education, skills and an opportunity to better themselves.
 
 
The Hope Foundation provides educational and vocational services and supportive child-care programmes, disabled children are given hope and opportunity to lead productive lives through the Menagesha Home for Disabled Children, many women are given a new lease of life and their self-esteem back at the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital and 18 shelters for orphans and refugees were opened, saving them from a life of begging on the streets.
 
Thanks to the continued donations of people like you, many abandoned children are given a chance of family life, poor people are supported by feeding programmes and dying people are given dignity and peace to live their last at the House of Angels. A school building project has also begun and through the Cataracts Project, many people, young and old, now have had the operation to remove their cataracts and can now see clearly.
 
 
According to Mr. Reed, just 15 dollars is enough to give seven families a good nutritional meal, 30 dollars would help to rescue one more street child from a life of crime and homelessness and 50 dollars could help to house a refugee family in need of homes, food and jobs arriving in the capital city Addis Ababa. "The problems are immediate and assistance is needed as soon as possible to limit the enormous human suffering. We guarantee that at least 75% of the money sent to this appeal will go to Ethiopiaid within 30 days. The remainder will be sent out as soon as possible after that," he pledged.
 
Readers: Here's your chance. If you have been moved by this story, join the growing number of persons throughout the world who support Ethiopiaid. "A regular gift to Ethiopiaid is the most valuable kind of gift that we can receive," said Mr. Reed, "regular gifts mean that we can plan ahead. They also help keep our administration costs down and can be covenanted to enable us to claim the tax back."
 
 
The address to send donations to is:
 
Alec Reed C.B.E, Ethiopiaid, RCC 2063, Northampton NN3, 6BR United Kingdom.
 
The space for this feature article has been contributed by the BVI Philatelic Society and the Publishers of The Island Sun newspaper