TRIP OF A LIFETIME
The Gift of hope
Aer Lingus cabin crew member Lynsey Glasgow sees charity in action in Zambia.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY BRIAN RUTTER
T
he hospital outside Mazabuka in Zambia is not much to look at. The doctor visits just once a month. In four or five rooms, the hospital’s one nurse/ midwife and her helpers deal with a population of 8,000 people. Yet miracles are performed in those rooms every day. I was in Mazabuka as an ambassador for UNICEF. Every year, eight Aer Lingus cabin crew are chosen as ambassadors and undertake a field trip to see the organisation’s work at first hand. The tiny hospital in Mazabuka was one of the first in Zambia to be enrolled in Project Mwana, a UNICEF-funded scheme that uses SMS technology to speed up HIV tests for expectant mothers. The project has reduced the wait times for results by over half, and means that treatment can begin much sooner in cases where the results are positive. 112 |
APRIL/MAY 2012
It was in Mazabuka that I met Fridah, 29, and her son Junior, seven months. When Fridah was expecting Junior, she tested positive for HIV. Under the UNICEF scheme, her results were back in two weeks (compared to the usual six or eight) and Fridah was able to start a course of prophylaxis drugs to prevent the spread of HIV to her unborn child. When Junior was born at the hospital, he was tested as soon as possible for HIV and, thankfully, his results were negative. With the help and support of this hospital and the new technology in place, Fridah was still able to breastfeed her newborn son with very little risk. Both mother and baby continue to be very healthy. Although Fridah was devastated when she herself was diagnosed, she is so grateful to the
Top, local UNICEF climate ambassadors with a message for Aer Lingus and passengers. Above, Lynsey Glasgow holds a card with the word that sums up her experience in Zambia. Below, Lynsey talks to Fridah, mother to Junior, in Mazabuka.
centre in Mazabuka that measures could be quickly put in place to ensure her son’s result was negative. Fridah’s was just one of many sad yet hopeful stories we heard on our field trip. Aer Lingus has been supporting UNICEF Ireland for 15 years, and our passengers have raised almost $15 million through emergency appeals and donations of small change on transatlantic flights. Your money has been put to good use in many disaster-hit areas, such as the Philippines, Haiti and the countries of east Africa. The people we met in Zambia were inspiring. Th They ey are proud of their country, their culture and the fact that one of the seven natural wonders of the world – the breathtaking Victoria Falls – lies within its borders. Before returning to Ireland, we joined young UNICEF climate ambassadors to pick up litter in the Victoria Falls National Park. That evening, we That celebrated with the locals as their national football team sailed through semi-final of to the semi-final the African Cup of Nations (they went on final after a to win the final penalty shoot out). And yet, just one hour away, deep in rural Zambia, there are people who do not even know Victoria Falls exists. Their children have never played with a real football, let alone watched their national team on television. The priorities for these people are safe drinking water, food, shelter, access to medical care and keeping their children safe. We – Aer Lingus and you – are helping UNICEF do a wonderful job in Zambia, but there is still so much more to be done. My trip to Zambia in February was a once in a lifetime trip. But my support for UNICEF and the work they are doing all over the world, will not end there, and I hope yours won’t either.