It is Thursday and that means just one thing for this blog - Reasons to be Cheerful! As we are in full swing with New Bloggers Fortnight normally I would be sharing all things bloggy that make me happy but today is a little different. It is still blogging linked but it is also bigger than that, far bigger!
Earlier this week my friends Penny, Tanya and Annie travelled to Ghana to see first hand how some of the money that Comic Relief has raised over the last 25 years has been spent and they are reporting back on all that they saw and heard there (their names are linked to their blogs, you can read loads about this great trip on those).
Do you know what they saw in Ghana? #GoodWork that is what. I know firsthand how that will have made their hearts leap; to see all that change and the powerful effect that funding can have to make a difference to everyday life is awe-inspiring. I'll never forget the people I met in Ethiopia and I'm sure they will never forget those they had the privilege to spend time with in Ghana.
My trip to Ethiopia in October last year was titled Living Proof and it was very much in the same vein as this #GoodWork campaign. Annie, Penny, Tanya and I all went and saw what a positive effect foreign funding has on everyday life for those living in poverty, one of the great things that this money does is help to pay for vaccination programs. The one that Tanya, Penny and Annie went to is funded by GAVI and will ensure that children live to become adults. That seems a really simple and obvious statement doesn't it? But nothing can be taken for granted when growing up in a developing country. A rotavirus vaccination makes the world of difference - it is literally life and death stuff!
Here in the UK parents make a choice to immunise their child or not but it is not a choice for those living in many parts of Africa. Diarrhoea kills in Africa as does TB, Tetanus and many other illnesses that these vaccinations can prevent. Take a look at the picture below and see how glad the mothers are to come together and have their children immunised. I'm not sure what the leaflets are that they are holding but my guess would be they are literature provided by GAVI to explain about the injections.
In Ethiopia once a child is fully immunised their family receive a certificate to confirm this fact. That certificate is then proudly displayed on the wall, in the same way your parent might mount your degree award. Children are only allowed to start school when they can prove they have been immunised, because they have to ensure they have the herd effect and the children will be safe from infection by others.
I watched Jonathan Ross on This Morning the other day broadcasting live from this very centre and he got it right when he said that no child likes having a jab but better five minutes of discomfort now, than real devastation later. Hits it home doesn't it?
So this week my reasons to be cheerful are -
- Bloggers making a difference
- Comic Relief providing aid to developing countries for 25 years
- Vaccinations saving lives
For the past 25 years the money raised through Red Nose Day has been changing the lives of the poorest and most disadvantaged people in the UK and Africa. Let’s Keep Up the Good Work. Find out how at rednoseday.com.
For other digital postcards please do check out the linky on www.teamhonk.org
Time for you to join in now - your Reasons to be Cheerful (or #R2BC) can be anything you fancy. Write a post and link up and hop round a visit a few great people who are joining in. Thanks to all those who joined in last week, sorry I did not get to visit you, my Nan has been very ill and sadly passed away on Monday night. Rest in Peace Nanny Mary.
Wishing you a great week, we are back to New Bloggers Fortnight tomorrow with a super post from Emma at Crazy with Twins on keeping your integrity when publishing sponsored content.
