You’ll Never Walk Alone in Malawi
Last summer when Spirit of Shankly heard about a local youth group travelling to Mtunthama, Malawi to work alongside the charity Medic Malawi, we were keen to get involved and lend support.
The five girls from the Shewsy Youth Club in Everton – Jess, Bec, Ellie, Courtney and Chelsea – and youth worker Leslie Drew spent 17 days at St Andrew’s hospital, feeding centre and orphanage working alongside local doctors, nurses and volunteers.
It has been eight months since they made the life-changing trip and project coordinator Julie Fitzpatrick has sent this letter of thanks to SOS, along with a video of the trip – a glorious testament to the power of human kindness.
“Dear SOS
“In July 2016, five youngsters from the Shewsy Youth Club in Everton made preparations to travel to Malawi alongside young people from Shrewsbury School. The aim of their trip was to work together on a project run by Medic Malawi. The charity organisation in Mtunthama includes a hospital, two orphanages and The Shrewsbury School Eye Clinic.
“The youngsters’ Community Service expedition included the chance to witness first hand the work of the Shrewsbury Eye Clinic in restoring sight to patients – cataracts are a common problem here. They also painted a new bakery, built to generate income for the hospital, and helped out at the orphanage that cares for over 100 children, from newborns to teenagers.
“When Ste and Kieth from Spirit of Shankly got wind of the expedition – from the girls fundraising in the Twelfth Man pub – they stepped in to help.“SOS were extremely generous and gave a cash donation that helped buy sacks of grain for the orphanage – it was a tough year in Malawi: the rains were late and inadequate, and the hospital’s malnutrition centre was a lifeline for adults and children.
“SOS also donated nappies, pins and pants, medical supplies, face masks, sterile operating rubber gloves, craft supplies, pens, pencils, calculators and hundreds of pairs of sunglasses for post-op eye patients. It was a joy to see the smiles on the faces of those who had had their sight restored wearing their new eyewear!“We cannot thank Spirit of Shankly enough for their kindness that helped enrich the experience tenfold for the girls. And also to Mike Deane who runs the Hat, Scarf and Badge shop, for his generosity in sending bags of Spirit of Shankly T-shirts, Liverpool scarves and badges that brought smiles to many in the local community.
“Thank you.”
