Morning all, very occasionally we are sent a nomination that rocks us to our very core and are sent images or videos that support a nomination but are so harrowing we have taken the decision to omit it. I hope that’s okay? Olivia and Frank are two children that Barry and Deborah are committed to helping as they have been kept in a room almost their entire lives as in the village they live in in Ghana their disabilities are misconstrued as evil spirits and they are vulnerable to attack. After seeing these children Deborah knew something has to be done and is intervening. Never has the money been so needed. Thank you so much to the heroic work Deborah and Barry do in Ghana and thanks to each and everyone of you for facilitating these heroics. Our money is truly doing lifesaving work and I hope you’re all proud as we approach 250 weeks of giving.
Loads of love
500 Reasons Admin Team xxx
Here’s the nomination:
Hello to all of you at 500 Reasons. I have spoken to and shared a video with Joe in advance of this nomination as I felt the video was a little bit too shocking to be shared without some sort of explanation. My new nomination would read as below:
I would like to start by thanking everyone at 500 Reasons for supporting all the causes that have been the subject of nominations by me over the last few years. As many of you will know I recently spent 4 weeks in Ghana and was able to spend a good amount of time with Florence (our sponsored child) and I also made a visit to Koku whose medical care is now being funded by this group. I have actually seen the benefits of your donations and the difference they are making in these people's lives. Thank you again.
This nomination has come about as a direct result of the trip that we made to Koku a few weeks ago. After our visit there we were made aware that in the same village as Koku, there were two children, a brother and sister,
who had been kept effectively locked in a room for much of their lives as they have significant disabilities that meant they were vulnerable to attack from other members of the village who believe that they have brought evil spirits into the village. I have seen a video of the circumstances in which they were found and I have shared this with Joe. I did not feel it was wise to share this video too widely as it is quite shocking. In the spirit that 'if you see it you can't walk by without doing something to help' steps have been taken to get these children seen at the nearest hospital and they have been assessed. I understand that certain types of medication have been prescribed and there will be an ongoing need to support them in the future. It is likely that plans will be made to visit these two children at the same time as further visits are made to Koku in the future. The obvious question is about what the long term plan will be. At the moment that is not defined with any certainty but we can say there will be an ongoing need for visits from doctors and further medication. This nomination will fund this further help and it will be very much appreciated. I have attached a few recent photos of the two children to give you an idea of their current situation. I am also planning another trip to Ghana very soon and I hope to make a visit to them, and Koku, during this trip when I will be able to report further. Thank you all for supporting these causes, they are vital for the well being of those concerned.
Barry Hedges
Comments