Inverness church's children saving lives after helping to raise vital funds to fight deadly cholera outbreak in Malawi
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SUNDAY school children in Inverness are helping to save lives in a deadly cholera outbreak after raising hundreds of pounds to help in the relief effort.
Children at Inverness East Church of Scotland have helped to raise £793 to help charity EMMS International's work helping to combat the cholera crisis in Malawi.
A spokesman said: "The children took it upon themselves to raise money for the cause, selling water bottles after a Sunday service - a poignant and symbolic reference to the spread of the disease and one of their final acts as a community inspired by the work of EMMS International."
Malawi is currently experiencing a wave of cholera that continues to overwhelm the country. It is battling its worst outbreak, which has spread across all 28 districts and continues to put pressure on its healthcare system.
Country representative for the UN children’s fund, Unicef, Rudolf Scwhenk said recently: “Resources are limited, the health system is overburdened, and health workers are stretched to their limits.” He added: “A bout of cholera may amount to a death sentence for thousands of children in Malawi.”
In addition to the cholera crisis, Malawi’s healthcare system is also struggling to respond to the fallout from an uptick in polio cases and the continued pressures of the Covid-19 crisis. The aftermath of heavy rains and Cyclone Freddy have also exacerbated the spread of the water-borne disease. Cholera infections continue to rise daily with over 50,000 confirmed cases and over 1500 dead.
EMMS International, founded in Edinburgh in 1841, is tackling the endemic on the ground providing crucial resources and healthcare. Their target goal of £160,000 is aiming to improve water sanitation and medical care to help contain the spread of the disease.
Tina Bruce, a church member who has been involved with EMMS for many years, praised the children for their contribution to the fundraising efforts: “The Sunday School children organised it all. It was completely off their own backs. They organised the entire thing, giving out the water bottles and doing all the work.
"It was really quite powerful to watch. We’ve been working with EMMS since the early 90s and well, there’s a sort of partnership between Scotland and Malawi that goes back far longer. We have two families from Malawi in the church, so there was also the personal connection within the community that inspired us.”
Tina added: “Every little helps, if you can save a life by donating very little – if you can give anything to help someone less fortunate that yourself; why wouldn’t you? It was a really lovely note for the children to end on. This is the last thing that they were able to do together as a church, as Inverness East Church before it closes and they did it entirely off their own back.”
EMMS International works across the globe to provide and improve healthcare for some of the world’s poorest communities. Its work in Malawi has seen it help to develop healthcare education alongside providing sustainable energy and water resources. It has pledged to supply a further 14 rural health centres with safe water and sanitation.
