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URGENT APPEAL FOR REGULAR DONORS
Please help us support members of staff like Kaddy and Mariama
Kaddy's Story
This is Kaddy. Her husband sadly passed away four years ago, taking the security and safety she once knew with him. Since that day, her life has been devoted to raising her three children. She is of course not alone in experiencing unexpected bereavement. We can all attest to the feeling of helplessness and shock when a loved one leaves us unexpectedly.
Where Kaddy’s story differs is that like so many Gambian widows, she has no social safety net. There is no widow’s pension. There is no council housing. There are no child support services to assist Kaddy in feeding her children. Her husband was her protection; without him, Kaddy and her three children were left alone and vulnerable.
With nowhere to turn, and with a childhood disability preventing her from walking properly, Kaddy fought as best she could to give her children a future. She began washing clothes for people within the local community, garnering a daily income of less than 50 pence. With a living wage in Bansang being the equivalent of £7.74 per week, Kaddy’s income simply did not come close to fully supporting her family.
So desperate was her situation that Kaddy often resorted to begging in order to support her family. This constant financial strain often forced Kaddy’s children to miss school, and go entire days without sustenance. It is to Kaddy’s immense credit that through these hardships, she has managed to raise such kind, loving and articulate children.
We believe Kaddy has struggled enough. Having interviewed her for an orderly job, we are confident that she will be a brilliant asset for the hospital. More importantly, the living wage of £7.48 per week that Kaddy will take home will allow her children to eat properly, and enjoy a full and uninterrupted education.
We Need Your Help
Kaddy’s story is not an isolated one. Since 1992, the Bansang Hospital Appeal has come to the assistance of thousands of people just like her. The Appeal has helped whilst far better funded international aid organisations have stood idly by.
We never want to be the kind of organisation that turns its back on people like Kaddy. So it is with hope in our hearts that we turn to you, our supporters. If we can find the money to employ her, Kaddy will join more than 50 other members of staff at Bansang Hospital who are employed by the charity. Their employment not only protects immediate family from the horrors that Kaddy has endured; it also brings social benefits to the entire Bansang community.
The problem we have currently – and where you can help - is that just 10 of our 48 employees are directly funded each month via standing order. This leaves a shortfall of around £1,200 per month for the remaining 38 employees; a cost that Anita has footed for the last decade through her fundraising efforts. It is a large cost for the charity to foot each month, and makes it difficult to make firm commitments to future developments at the hospital.
With this in mind, if you are in a fortunate situation where you can spare a few pounds each month, we hope you may consider setting up a standing order to help pay the wages of Kaddy and others just like her. You don’t have to contribute the full amount; a regular standing order of as little as £1 per week will help us reach our goal of entirely funding staff wages via standing order by the start of 2016.
Making a difference costs less than you think
It's easier than you think to make a genuine and life-changing contribution. Our employees monthly living wage of £30 equates to roughly half a tank of fuel here in the UK, or the price of a monthly phone bill.
In Bansang, our £30 living wage pays for food, school fees, accommodation and clothing. More importantly, it takes women like Kaddy and Mariama from a life of poverty and fear to one of hope and security.
However much you can afford, your contribution WILL make a lasting difference. So please get in touch with Anita using the form below, and find out how fulfilling it is to support one of our employees
A big thank you to our long-term donors listed below
Peter & Michelle Bates, Hilary Ingold, Peter & Margaret Clifford, Linda & Terry Nicholson, Barbara Oldfield, BBC, Prof' Paul Davies, Andy & Judy Norton, Lorrie & Bill Lumley, Joni Ager, Mr & Mrs Dillon, Chrissie Summerling, Mary Sheldon, Colin & Heather Aitchison, Jeannette & Chris Payne, Dr Annabel Kerr, Dorothy & Peter Moran, Peter & Jackie Mitchell, Mr & Mrs Williams, Dr Corrine Austin (/Amy), Kath & Richard Harvey, Keith Rose, Robin Messant
Their staff wage standing orders amount to almost £300 per month. This wonderful amount helps us enormously, bringing hope and employment to 50 members of staff, and the hundreds of family members who depend on them.
