Hi,

I'm off again!!

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.  As you now know I'm taking part in supporting Ethiopiaid through my employer Reed Nurse, Health and Doctor (Reed Specialist Recruitment).  On the 30th November 2010 I will set off for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and set off for a week of activities working with local men, women and children with a view to enhance everyones experiences and make a real difference.  For those that may remember I visited Ethiopia last year to complete a similar challenge.  Well, my love for the work we all did now continues - and quite frankly I can't wait!  (My pictures in my profile are from last years visit)

Every day, children arrive in Addis Ababa in search of a better life. Without money or the means for shelter, many of these children find themselves condemned to life on the dangerous streets of an impoverished city. They are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. Children Aid Ethiopia (Chad-Et) wants to stop this. They have two main aims - to protect and rehabilitate children exposed to sexual exploitation and to prevent the transmission of HIV/AIDs. This is a sole project I will be working on, please help me by donating what you can to allow these children to live like children.

Another project my colleagues will be working on is connected to Obstetric fistula, a condition caused during an obstructed labour which leaves the mother incontinent, is a condition rarely seen in the developed world.

But in countries like Ethiopia, poverty, a lack of education and the remoteness of many villages prevent many women from accessing medical attention during labour. Up to 9,000 new cases of fistula are seen every year in Ethiopia.

One of Ethiopiaid's long-standing partners, the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, is at the forefront of fistula prevention and treatment, and with my skills I can make a difference.

Two years of severe drought and successive years of below-average rainfall have plunged Ethiopia into another food crisis.  The UN has warned that nearly 20 million people are in need of emergency food aid across the Horn of Africa.

Ethiopia is using its own food reserves to address the shortages and the World Food Programme has started shipping in additional food, which will cover the requirements from September to December.

During the drought of 1984, close to 8 million people became victims of famine and over 1 million died. The situation was described by a BBC reporter as "the closest thing to hell on earth".

Currently, about 10% of Ethiopia's population of 77 million receives food aid of some kind. Ethiopiaid is monitoring the current situation closely and is ready to provide funding for emergency food aid as soon as it is needed.  I can make a difference, but I need your help, your support, your generosity. 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – 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 - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now if you can.

Thank you,