| Liam Horan, Yorkshire Evening Post
A Leeds man is playing a key role in bringing some comfort to children orphaned by HIV/AIDS in Malawi, one of the world’s poorest countries.
Fred Higham, from Harehills, is spearheading a drive to provide 100 new houses for orphans and vulnerable children in the Nsanje region of south Malawi.
Over 900,000 are estimated to live with HIV/AIDS in Malawi. Thousands of children have been left orphaned by the death of parents from the disease, and it is this group that GOAL are targeting with their house-building programme.
“My role here is to co-ordinate the construction of 100 houses for children who have been left without parents, and who are generally being cared for by relatives or neighbours,” says Fred, who has been working with Third World humanitarian agency GOAL in Malawi since last November.
He has been seconded to GOAL for a year by his employers Buro Happold.
“The houses are needed to allow the orphans live their with guardians. The guardians usually have families of their own, so a bigger and better house is needed to allow them take in the orphans. The reaction from local communities has been astonishing – they are just so happy that we are doing this to cater for the orphans,” he adds.
He will complete his contract with GOAL in November, but thinks he may continue to world in developing countries.
Donations to GOAL can be sent to GOAL, PO Box 19, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin, Ireland, or for debit/credit card donations phone +353 1 2809779. Donations can also be made at www.goal.ie
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