We are proud to introduce our chosen charity, Sparkle Malawi. Sparkle was founded by Sarah Brook, at the young age of 18. When travelling in the country, one of the poorest in the world, she became unwell with severe stomach pains. Rushed to the closest hospital, many miles away, Sarah arrived and was faced with an hour long queue. The community volunteered to step aside to enable her to see the one and only doctor in the region, who literally saved her life. However, while she was being seen, some of the other waiting patients, including young children, lost their lives.
Shocked and saddened by the desperate situation, Sarah vowed to make a difference to at least one child’s life in the area. To do this, she created the Sparkle Foundation, which today funds a centre in the local community where children are educated, nourished, and have their healthcare managed. Sarah is led by sustainability principles and is also working with the people of Malawi to sustain themselves through skills training and education too.
Cornelius Group Chairman and three lucky employees got to see first-hand how our contributions help Sparkle Malawi in 2019. They went on local walks every day where the community would see the Sparkle Malawi logo on their t-shirt and would be so thankful. Natalie (one of our employees) says ‘you become attached to all the children there, but Rosanna is such a sweet child and has such a heartbreaking story, but she is still extremely happy and makes everyone smile.’
Here’s a summary of Rosanna’s story to help you understand why we feel so passionate about supporting Sparkle Malawi: ‘Previously malnourished and traumatised, Rosie was almost trafficked out of Malawi before joining Sparkle. Once her security was maximised, she joined the sponsorship programme and gained 3+kg. Today, Rosie is a loving, caring young lady that is an integral part of the Sparkle family with her father and disabled sister.’ Sparkle Malawi Newsletter
At the time of writing, Sparkle is preparing for the impact of COVID-19 in Malawi. Clearly the situation will be desperate – there are none of the facilities and support that we have come to expect in the U.K. We are supporting Sparkle in their preparations and hoping to raise funds to enable them to supply care packages to families as they attempt to keep themselves safe.
In addition, we would also like to raise money for our amazing NHS. Everyday they are at the front line, trying to save lives due to this awful pandemic, COVID-19.
“The NHS Charities National Covid-19 Urgent Appeal was launched to acknowledge and support NHS staff, volunteers and patients impacted by Covid-19 across the country. The campaign was put together in liaison with national health service bodies, NHS Charities Together member charities and board. The money raised is funding grants to help NHS charities support NHS staff, volunteers and patients in ways above and beyond what NHS funding can ordinarily provide, including wellbeing packs, rest and recuperation rooms, electronic tablets for isolated patients to communicate to loved ones. The funds will also resource vital care partnerships and longer term mental health recovery of staff and families.” Covid-19 Urgent Appeal / NHS Charities Together
