More than third of the
target figure is reached
by STEVE GRAVENOR
WHAT a generous
bunch you are! Our campaign to give a young African girl the gift of sound is more than a third of the way to its
£6,000 target.
Donations from generous readers topped the £2,000 mark
on
Saturday, just ten days after we launched a bid to bring Aminata Sawaneh, aged
six, to Essex for a vital operation.
The little Gambian girl has a deformed ear lobe and needs plastic surgery, not
available in her country, to enable her to hear properly again.
Although surgeons at St Andrews Hospital, Billericay, have offered, to perform
the surgery for free, £6,000 is needed to pay for flightsand Aminata's stay in hospital. Her plight was first
highlighted by the Kingfisher Trust, which works to improve conditions in the impoverished
Gambia.
Simon Wezel whofounded the Essex-based Trust, said he was overwhelmed by the
response from EADT readers.
"I think it is absolutely fantastic," he said. "I have been on the phone to
Aminata's father to tell him how well the appeal is going. He has told Aminata and he says she is
thrilled."
Mr Wezel urged more readers to dip into their pockets so that the operation can
be carried out as soon as possible.
"The brilliant thing about donating to this appeal," he said, "is that readers
will actually be able to see the results very quickly and think to themselves, 'We played a part in
that'."
Scott Dolling, reader marketing manager at the EADT, said the number of cheques
and donations coming into the Ipswich appeal headquarters was growing every day.
"People are being very, very generous," he said. "But they are not just sending
money, they are also sending letters of support. It is Cheques and postal orders
should be made payable to Eastern County Newspapers. Cash donations can be made at our Lower
Brook quite touching."
You can help the Gift of Sound appeal reach its £6,000 target by sending
donations to Scott Dolling, The Gift of Sound Appeal, EADT, PO Box 137, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4
1EH.
Cheques and postal orders should be made payable to Eastern County Newspapers.
Cash donations can bCheques and postal orders se made at our
Lower BrookCheques and postal orders s
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