Locals help to deliver medical vehicles to Africa
By Rebekah O'Reilly
Four Tullamore men were recently involved in a major 30-person expedition which saw 15 vehicles, donated by the Japanese government, being delivered to Kampala in Uganda.
The 'Drive for Hospice Africa' fundraiser connected to the journey, organised by Tullamore native Tom Doyle and Carlow man John O'Kelly, also raised over €114,000 for Hospice Africa Uganda (HAU) as of Tuesday, January 14.
On the recent trip to Uganda, three more Tullamore men joined Tom, who is founder of Promise Gluten Free Bakery Group, including Simpli Bakery owner Kieran Walsh, Screggan native and Palfinger retiree Luke Carberry, and Dublin native Alan Waters, whose parents originate from Tullamore. The men were all part of the group who helped to deliver the convoy of emergency service vehicles.
A total of five fire engines and ten ambulances were transported by sea from Japan to Tanzania, with the group of Irish volunteers driving the remaining distance from Dar as Salam in Tanzania to Kampala in Uganda.
Regarding the fundraising, Tom said: "It's an enormous amount of money for them, and it is actually the largest donation that has been made to Hospice Africa Uganda."
"They can provide morphine to a patient for €25 per month, and they can employ a full-time nurse for between €3,500 to €4,000 per year. They also provide training for palliative care nurses. A donation of this size will make a massive difference."
The group set out on the journey in memory of a late friend, Irish airline pilot Ambrose Blaine, who passed away in a motorcycle accident in Mexico in November 2021.
"There was a small group of us who used to go travelling together, and Ambrose kept us in touch. He loved adventure," Tom said.
"He flew in and out of Uganda a good bit, and on one of his journeys he discovered Africa Hospice Uganda. About five years ago, he brought us all to Uganda to see the hospice. After he passed away, we decided to do something in his memory."
The group of friends had previously made a similar trip to donate vehicles to the HAU on behalf of the Japanese government.
Tom said: "One of our friends lives in Japan and he works with the Japanese government to help them choose where to make donations. The first time we drove vehicles from Mombasa, Kenya to Uganda."
On this occasion, Tom said: "The roads were extremely poor in some areas, and at times, we could only do a speed of 15km per hour. We got to Tanzania on New Year's Day, and we arrived in Uganda on Friday, January 10, where we met with all the people from Hospice Africa, including the founder Anne Merriman."
The Africa Hospice Uganda was founded by Professor Anne Merriman in 1993, after she discovered that the terminally ill in Uganda had absolutely no palliative care. Prof Merriman focused her work on making affordable oral morphine available to people throughout Africa, and was recognised for her incredible work when she was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.
Today, the Africa Hospice Uganda provides palliative care to roughly 2,000 people per year. "Before that, if you were terminally ill in Africa, you would die in pain. The government in Africa don't provide palliative care," said Tom, noting how Prof Merriman's work changed the lives of countless people on the continent.
Donations for the 'Drive for Hospice Africa' fundraiser remain open until March 10. To donate, go to: https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/11552806, or search 'Drive for Hospice Africa' on iDonate.