DO NOT FORGET FELLOW SUFFERERS
Do not forget fellow sufferers
THE sums donated to the Omagh appeal have given me heart. Many empathise and want to support neighbours who are suffering so much but I also think of a letter I received from a friend in Nairobi.
A fortnight before Omagh, the Nairobi bomb killed 263 people, injuring 5,000 (60 have gone blind).
The health service in Kenya is not free. Families have to pay horrendous medical expenses, as well as large initial sums on travelling to the city to locate family members.
The absence, even temporary, of a family breadwinner imperils the payment of rent, school fees etc.
in Omagh, a large part of the city centre is ruined and many have lost their jobs (with no alternative income in benefits).
The survivors of the Omagh bomb will carry their pain, external and internal, with them for years to come. So will the survivors of the Nairobi bomb. But there is a contrast in the material resources and support available to both groups.
Without taking a penny or a thought from Omagh, I hope that it is possible also to keep Nairobi in mind.
Donations can be directed via CMS Ireland, Church of Ireland House, 61-67 Donegall St, Belfast BT1 2FH.
J. F., Belfast 9.
THE sums donated to the Omagh appeal have given me heart. Many empathise and want to support neighbours who are suffering so much but I also think of a letter I received from a friend in Nairobi.
A fortnight before Omagh, the Nairobi bomb killed 263 people, injuring 5,000 (60 have gone blind).
The health service in Kenya is not free. Families have to pay horrendous medical expenses, as well as large initial sums on travelling to the city to locate family members.
The absence, even temporary, of a family breadwinner imperils the payment of rent, school fees etc.
in Omagh, a large part of the city centre is ruined and many have lost their jobs (with no alternative income in benefits).
The survivors of the Omagh bomb will carry their pain, external and internal, with them for years to come. So will the survivors of the Nairobi bomb. But there is a contrast in the material resources and support available to both groups.
Without taking a penny or a thought from Omagh, I hope that it is possible also to keep Nairobi in mind.
Donations can be directed via CMS Ireland, Church of Ireland House, 61-67 Donegall St, Belfast BT1 2FH.
J. F., Belfast 9.
Further Information
Publisher: BELFAST TELEGRAPH
Ref: BT/0440
Published Date: 26-Sep-98
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