H+A Line Up Cork Sports Legends For World Vision ‘Cork 500’ Appeal
GAA legends Jimmy Barry Murphy and Graham Canty lined out with former Irish rugby International Michael Bradley this week to launch the World Vision ‘Cork 500’, an urgent charity appeal to recruit 500 new child sponsors for an African community in serious need. The Cork 500 appeal for World Vision (Ireland) is a targeted campaign that hopes to recruit 500 new child sponsors for a long term area development programme in Shiselweni in Swaziland, a community that has been ravaged by drought and the spread of HIV/Aids.
CEO of World Vision (Ireland) Helen Keogh says, “Every day 30,000 African children die because they live in poverty. We are asking Cork people to lend their support. By sponsoring a child they can give these children, their families and communities in Swaziland a fighting chance to survive, giving them the means to get out of poverty and rebuild their lives. Child sponsorship transforms entire communities by giving them access to the basics - safe water, healthcare, shelter, food and education.”
GAA All-Star Jimmy Barry Murphy, pleaded with his fellow Cork people to help World Vision reach its target of 500 child sponsors, “For just 83c a day, you can sponsor a child in Swaziland and make an extraordinary difference to their lives. If Cork hits the target of 500 sponsors, the project in Swaziland will be funded and ultimately lives will be saved - that’s down to us, the people of Cork, to get on board and make that difference.”
Cork Sponsor Anne Fitzgibbon of Bellevue Rise in Frankfield currently sponsors several children through World Vision’s Child Sponsorship Programme and visited Tabu, her sponsored child in Tanzania two years ago. She says the experience of becoming a child sponsor is an incredible one. “After each of my four children were born, we sponsored a child through World Vision. My kids are involved in writing letters and sending birthday cards to the children we sponsor in Africa. The experience has opened their eyes to the needs of other children their age in developing countries and it’s been a rewarding experience for us as a family. I would strongly recommend the experience to other Mums and Dads in Cork.”
Why Cork?
“Cork people have always been incredibly generous and supportive of World Vision’s work - it’s one of the largest child sponsorship communities in Ireland for World Vision (Ireland). We have 14,000 dedicated Irish sponsors, however in the past year as the recession intensified, we’ve seen a drop off in the number of child sponsors signing up, and the situation is now becoming critical especially in the area development programme of Shiselweni in Swaziland. Hence, our launch of the Cork 500 appeal is designed to help address this as urgently as we can.” Keogh added.
It costs €25 a month to sponsor a child, that’s just 83c a day.
To become a sponsor go to worldvision.ie/cork or text SPONSOR to 51500
