It has been a tough year for Ethiopia, but Norfolk-based Hospice Ethiopia UK is doing its utmost to keep up the financial support. Sue Mumford reports.
Jamie Mumford (Hospice Ethiopia UK Trustee) is continuing with his ‘training’ (cheered on by the family), for the 10k course at Holkham Hall on Saturday July 3. This is the furthest he has ever run (and may be his last time). If you haven’t sponsored him yet, there is still time. Please give him plenty of encouragement by sponsoring him via this link.
The money raised will go towards paying for the Ethiopian nurses working at Hospice Ethiopia in Addis Ababa. As you may have seen from the news, it has been a tough few months for Ethiopians. In 2020 the government declared a state of emergency due to the pandemic; this resulted in many liberties being curtailed and the poor and sick in particular found it difficult to earn enough money to buy essential food. Although the state of emergency has been lifted, Covid is now widespread, with many deaths going unreported. The vaccination programme is very slow and there is a lot of vaccine hesitancy due to the paucity of information about the huge benefits of being vaccinated.
In addition, the conflict in Tigray is smouldering on. We understand that the main towns and cities are quiet but there is insurgency in the vast rural areas of northern Ethiopia. The parents of Ephrem (the Director of Hospice Ethiopia) had to flee for their lives a couple of months ago. They live 225km north of Addis Ababa; their village was attacked by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, and they lost everything, including his mother’s café business.
Recent national elections appear to have passed off smoothly although not all areas of Ethiopia have been able to vote due to political unrest. The preliminary results will be known in 5 days’ time.
Hospice Ethiopia UK has been supporting Hospice Ethiopia for 10 years. From small beginnings we now transfer £30,000 a year to support their running costs. As for many charities raising this amount has been an exceptional challenge over the last year but due to the generosity of our donors, we have so far managed to raise enough money to fulfil our obligation to them.
Save the date: Mannington Hall Charity Day September 5, 2021, 11 am – 5 pm.
Entrance £6. Children free. A great day out in beautiful surroundings. For more information www.hospiceethiopia.org.uk
Pictured above is Jamie Mumford
Eldred Willey, 24/06/2021
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