A year on and close to target

Its almost a year - eleven months to be precise - since we left NZ to travel to Ethiopia. Much has happened in that time. The ever present risk of drought induced famine has again become a reality for people in the town of Degan and surrounding areas of Ethiopia. The wonderful kiwi woman Ruth Cremer met in Addis Ababa has passed away. Much has happened in the day to day lives of the volunteers that run the DESTA Project. Alongside job changes and other moves, work on the project has not been neglected. A very rough cut video of an appeal for the Ambulance Project has been posted to YouTube. A leaflet for the Project was produced with the assistance of a talented graphic designer in the UK. A DESTA Project website is under development and new volunteers have come on board.

The best news is that 90% of the target amount of funding has been raised to buy an ambulance for the Degan Health Centre. The wheels will soon start to turn on the ordering and delivery process. New sponsors are being sought for travel to Ethiopia for the delivery. The years of generous support from British Airways came to an end when the subsidiary British Airways airline, British Mediterranean Airways, which operated the route was sold to another airline. Two other options are being explored.

DESTA continues to pursue its commitment to help alleviate extreme poverty in a part of the world that is more disadvantaged than many. Watch this space for further updates.