Rotary rallies in Ebola battle

Former Clifton man Michael Colin is chief executive officer (CEO) of the charity whose purpose is to build and refurbish schools in that country.

The charity has focused upon building schools in Sierra Leone. However since this crisis, and because of the respect it has, the Government in Sierra Leone has asked it to help with Ebola. Rotary clubs in West Yorkshire are now looking to raise £60,000 to fund an ambulance in the African country.

Tony Perryman, President Elect of the Rotary Club of Brighouse, said to date the group has raised £2,000 and would like to ask the people of Brighouse for their help.

“We are all aware of the devastating effect of Ebola in West Africa. Sierra Leone has been particularly hard hit.

“As Rotarians we would all like to help, however this is not easy because finding the right partner who will ensure that our contributions are positively used is difficult.

“The Rotary Club of Brighouse has decided to work with ‘Make it Happen in Sierra Leone’. Having discussed how we can best support this charity help the people of Sierra Leone, we have agreed that the purchase of ambulance would be the most practical approach.

“So, our objective is to raise £60.000 by the end of this year. To achieve this we will need the help of every club in the district.

“I know we have all seen the reports in the media. The truth of the matter is that every hour from five to 10 cases are being reported . And that is only the reported cases. Therefore without help this crisis will become a catastrophe of immense human proportions . I urge you therefore to help ‘Make it Happen in Sierra Leone’ who are uniquely placed to put the money raised to work effectively.”

The Rotary Club of Brighouse will coordinate the purchase of the ambulance with the help of Steve Ellis, district international chairman.