Cape Verde
Morning everyone! This week’s nomination marks 499 weeks of 500 reasons. Next week will mean we’ve collectively given £250,000 to individuals, families and community groups that sometimes might otherwise have not got the help they’ve needed or deserved and it’s thanks to your diligence, kindness and unswerving support. No bureaucracy, no red tape, no hidden costs. £500 in and out every single week. Thank you so much. This week’s nomination comes from Nat who tells us of an awful tragedy from Cape Verde, a country that stole so many of our hearts during the World Cup. They are grieving as a nation following the loss of so many of their young people in a tragic bus accident.
She can explain for more eloquently than I, so here’s the nomination in full:
Hello!
I hope you are all well. I have another nomination.
Cape Verde is like a 2nd if not home to me, it’s a country and community that held me gently following a series of griefs. I have community in Cape Verde and cape verdian friends both there and here in London. 2 weeks ago on the mountainous volcanic island of Fogo a coach carrying mostly children fell 30 feet off the road killing 25 of the 39 on board. The bus was returning from an annual trip organised by the bus driver for the children he takes to school during term time. Due to the terrain, the lack of infrastructure and lighting, emergency services struggled to get to the bus to save the children. There also wasn’t the capacity on the Island to preserve the bodies in state mortuaries and so graves were dug through the night by torch light and group funerals were held the same night and the following morning - no time for families and a community to begin to get their heads round the tragedy or the trauma.
Despite Cape Verde winning people’s hearts and wowing the world at the World Cup very little has been shared about what happened on this island, the country and the diaspora at Large now in grief. The country isn’t wealthy, the population is only 530,000 (the diaspora is bigger) - it and its people are beautiful in nature and humble in spirit. They have a kriolu word ‘morabeza’ which describes the deep-rooted spirit of warmth, hospitality, generosity, friendliness, peaceful, open hearted nature of Cape Verde and its people . A go fund me page has been set up by a local group to help fund community projects, to improve the roads, support families and children who have lost siblings over night. They are hoping to raise £50k and if we have any of our £500 that could go support them - it would be amazing to let them know that we are with them.
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