Mediterranea Meeting - All Welcome

Mediterranea Meeting

Sat 19 Mar 10.00 to 11.00

Amadipesment Cafe (next to the new health centre in Palmanova, just as you come off the motorway, see http://www.amadipesment.org/ we have a room reserved on the left hand side as you enter the cafe)

Dear Members, Volunteers, Followers of Mediterranea

You are very welcome to join us for an informal meeting at

Amadipesment Cafe at 10am on Sat 19 Mar.

The purpose of the meeting is to:

- Allow people who do voluntary work for Mediterranea to get to know each other

- Allow others who are interested, to find out more about Mediterranea

- To get an overview from Michael Stoma, President of Mediterranea of

where we are now and what plans we have for the future

- Be able to ask questions about what we are currently doing

- To offer any ideas or suggestions we may have

We would like the meeting to be very relaxed and informal while at the

same time achieve it's purpose.  To help with this we intend to give

the meeting a loose structure as follows:

Welcome

Very brief personal introductions

Overview Michael Stoma

Questions/Ideas/Discussion

Conclusion

If you have anything that you would specifically like to know more

about or discuss or comment upon then perhaps you could lets us know

and we shall make sure it is covered at the meeting.

It would be very useful to have an estimate of the number of people

attending so that we can advise the cafe and have sufficient chairs

available.  If you are intending to join us please reply to Natalie Elfers natalie.elfers@gmail.com tel 699614307 or Robin Griffith rgrif367@gmail.com tel 600425647.   Please note that the cafe will be serving drinks etc according to your personal orders, which you should pay for as they are delivered.

We do hope that you will be able to join us.

We need an Ophthalmologist for Akaki.

Are you an Ophthalmologist?

In Akaki, some 20 km from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, blindness and partial blindness are a common and serious problem for the children and teenagers in this community.  The blindness and partial blindness are due to congenital cataracts, trauma, intrauterine infections, vitamin A deficiency, extreme myopias etc.  The blind and partially blind do not only suffer from this awful disability but are also being completely marginalized by their society.

At this moment there are 20 children who are considered blind, aged 8 or over, at least these are the children that we know of.  Some of these partially blind children perhaps could be helped with glasses or other optical tools.  In May, 10 blind children under the age of 3 will begin school at the new kindergarten for the blind that we are opening at Abugida School, which is also in Akaki.  Perhaps some of these children can be operated and saved from their blindness.  The operations would be paid for by Mediterranea.

Would you like to go to Ethiopia and examine these children?

Mediterranea can offer, during the month of August, accommodation at Abugida School and meals during school days.  The rest of the expenses would be covered by the volunteer.  If you are interested please contact us at mediterranea.ong@gmail.com

Fulfilment of the First Dignipacks!

Yesterday with a team of six volunteers we produced 200 Dignipacks, 50 for women and 150 for men.  We’d like to thank Avance Rent-a-Car for loaning us some space where we could work.  It took us two hours to complete the work. 

Next week volunteers will deliver these packs to the homeless who go to Zaqueo for food and shelter.  Mediterranea collaborates with Zaqueo on an ongoing basis, providing food, cleaning materials, clothes, blankets and sleeping bags.

These first Dignipacks contained articles such as hairbrushes, tooth brushes, socks etc that will not have to be included again for some time.  Other items will have to be included each time such as soap, toothpaste, deodorant etc.

If you would like to help and join the Dignipack team please email us at mediterranea.ong@gmail.com

The House of Mrs Keneni

Mrs Keneni is one of 13 old people who we sponsor in Akaki, Ethiopia.

During last year’s rainy season a very heavy storm caused the roof and two walls of her house to collapse.  As a result Mrs Keneni has been virtually living in the street.

The community of neighbours where Mrs Keneni lives proposed to Mediterranea that if we would pay for the materials they would all volunteer to rebuild her home.

We did this and so did they and today Mrs Keneni has a new house!