Every Journey should have a purpose.
If you gave a penny for every 10 miles Rob and Richard cover, Its just £8, add a bit extra to round it up to £10 and we have just brought 2 mosquito nets, those nets will not only save the life of the child or children under them but also those who sleep close by are protected. The more money : The more nets.
Angola
Rob and Emma lived in Luanda, Angola in 1998/9: it was an amazing place to live, known as the "Paris of Africa" in the 70's. The now bullet riddled buildings have Chanel and other famous logos on them. People washed in the pot holes in the road, street children ran everywhere and every street corner was occupied by the victims of the war and landmines.
Despite adversity the town was friendly and lively.
Malaria
Amy, aged one, came down with a raging fever one day and would not wake up. Emma wasn't allowed to drive, so Rob had to leave work and take us to the local hospital. The nurses took one look at her and rushed us both into a freezing shower.
A pill quickly brought her temperature down, but the blood test confirmed she had malaria.
It is common enough illness to all who live in Africa, but we had been so careful about repellent and keeping her covered up from dusk to dawn, I had never seen a bite but still she had malaria
We were given 3 pills, one pill to be taken every 12hrs.
A few days later she was her normally bouncy self, and it has not reoccurred, many thousands are not so lucky.
A few facts from the World Health Organization
- A child dies of malaria every 30 seconds.
- There were 247 million cases of malaria in 2006, causing nearly one million deaths,mostly
- among Africa children.
- Malaria is preventable and curable.
- Approximately half of the world's population is at risk of malaria, particularly those living in
- lower-income countries.
Africa
The smells, the sounds, the heat, they get into your system and we have a longing to go back. So much so that we sat in a restaurant in Covent Garden one evening and drew a map of Africa and decided that one day we would drive to Cape Town via Luanda ( it may have had something to do wit the empty jug of Margareta sitting on the table), but that map still sits in my purse as a reminder of a journey we will one day do.
Rallying Old Volvos
Volvos are our passion and our life so when Richard Atherton suggested taking part in the London Cape Town Rally run by the Endurance Rally Association, Rob's reply was "it'll have to be a Volvo" . I'm letting him go so that he can recce my route for when he and I go together, and somebody has to stay behind and run the business and look after the children and dogs.
To see how we turn an old Volvo into a car ready to take on the whole of Africa please visit our website : www.amazoncars.co.uk
Richard and Africa:
Richard also lived in Africa betweem 1982 and '83, working as an agronomist on a Commonwealth Development Corporation irrigation scheme in northern Swaziland: this was one of the most interesting and energising periods of my life. The friendliness of the Swazi people and the contrasts of this beautiful little country, from the majestic veldt to the north to the green mountains and valleys in the south, live with me to this day.
Living in Swaziland, I also had the opportunity to travel around the south of this vast continent - including South Africa, Mozambique and Kenya - giving me a small insight into the day-to-day lives of the ordinary people there and, more pertinently, their constant battle with Malaria. I had almost daily, first-hand experience of dealing with this parasite's effects amongst the local people who worked with me and, eventually, fell prey to it myself. I therefore have a very personal reason for making this journey and supporting 'Malaria No More'!
Our Choice of Charity
As the WHO say "It is preventable and curable." Amy, now 12, is our daily reminder of that, and prevention and cure is really quite simple
Malaria No More UK is a not-for-profit organization, committed to ending unnecessary death caused by malaria.
The costs of running the charity are covered by grants so all our donations purchase anti-malarial goods.
"Malaria No More" aims to:
- Ensure every man, women and child at risk of malaria in Africa has access to a mosquito net by the end of 2010.
- Put an end to malaria deaths completely by 2015
It has never been easier to prevent malaria – £5 will buy and deliver a bed net to cover a mother and baby, or two children, for up to five years.
Donating through Just Giving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with Just Giving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - so we raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate.....
and Thank You
Emma, Rob & Richard
