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Earlier this month, Matt Cardle made an emotional trip to Tanzania to see how some of the money raised through Red Nose Day 2011 is hard at work changing lives across Africa.
Thanks to the generosity of the British public, the Red Nose Day 2011 fundraising campaign raised over £108 million. In response to the public’s incredible support, the UK Government matched the £16 million Comic Relief committed across Africa to improve health and education services for thousands of poor children and families. As Matt Cardle witnessed in Tanzania, this money is already making a difference to the lives of poor and vulnerable people.
Matt visited a project in Tanzania where he met mothers and babies benefiting from Red Nose Day cash and was deeply moved by their stories. Having spent time in hospital at the age of two with a tumour on his kidney, Matt understands only too well how important it is for babies to get the help they need when they fall ill.
Matt met Hasan who is 21 months old and has already suffered from typhoid and malaria in his short life. When Matt was ill in hospital he was thankfully given all the treatment he needed but for Hasan help has been intermittent. Now thanks to the project Hasan and thousands of other children like him are getting the treatment they need to recover from life-threatening illnesses.
Matt Cardle said: “Seeing for myself what's possible with even a small donation to Comic Relief has been a real eye opener. With the mortality rate in Tanzania being much higher than the worldwide average, the battle to protect the youngest and most vulnerable is ongoing. But we can and do help. The nurses here deliver vital help to expectant and new mothers and they can see many more mums just because they have a push bike to use. It sounds incredibly simple but it works and with money from Red Nose Day having been boosted by the UK government there's even more pedal power and much needed medical care to go around.”
Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell, said: “Matt’s visit has shown the tremendous work that is only possible with the generous support of the British public. Aid from Britain is helping more than six million of the world's poorest people escape extreme poverty over the next four years. Together with Comic Relief, the Coalition Government is providing health care and education to the poorest and most vulnerable people, really making a difference to their everyday lives.”
This is just one of the projects helping people across Africa and with the extra support from the UK Government, Comic Relief can provide twice as many people with better access to healthcare and education services across Africa.
