Following on from our three very successful Lent collections for Somalia (€28,000 in 2021, €12,000 in 2022 & €20,000 in 2023). Country Director for Trócaire in Somalia Paul Healy has been in touch to thank us for our generosity and to appeal for our continued support. Paul will be in Ireland in at the end of April and will come to speak to us all in person.
Following discussions with his team in Gedo, Paul would like to propose support for the procurement of medical and laboratory equipment for the Elwak Referral Health Centre as part of the 2024 Lent collection. This initiative is in line with Trocaire’s ongoing construction of a 30-bed capacity hospital in Elwak, Somalia, aimed at providing essential obstetric services to vulnerable women and their children in the District.
With an estimated population of 60,000 residents in the district and an additional 19,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Elwak, it is evident that there is a pressing need for a reasonably equipped medical facility in the area, which has not previously been possible. Currently, an average of 6-8 pregnant mothers are referred to Elwak Kenya hospital through rigorous military checkpoints between Somalia and Kenya border every day with obstetric emergencies, emphasizing the critical necessity for this support.
To facilitate this very special collection there is a Special Donation Envelope included with this newsletter and they are also available at the back of the Church. Please drop your envelope into the Sacristy or the Parish Office when you have made your donation. Thank you for your continued support, it is very much appreciated.