Mum’s mercy cargo is on its way to help refugees in Iraq
A MUM’S mission to get life-saving medical supplies out to Yazidi refugees in Iraq has left the UK.
Fiona Bennett from North Connel, whose story appeared in The Oban
Times earlier this year, raised the £10,000 needed to get the cargo to two hospitals and a mobile clinic in Sinjar.
She hopes to fly out later this year with journalist friend Faith Orr to spend two weeks volunteering alongside medics and going out with a mobile clinic, treating hard-to-reach people, many of whom are still living in the mountains to which thousands fled in 2014 when Isis took their city.
Fiona’s campaign, backing the charity Yazda, got help from the Scottish Government via the chief executives of every NHS trust in the country which resulted in more than 200 pallets of donated supplies, including vital wound-care equipment – worth around £300,000. The supplies will fill eight huge trucks.
Earlier this month Fiona visited a warehouse in Manchester where some of the aid was being stored. Each pallet needed to have its contents listed.
On Sunday the entire cargo was due to be shipped out from a port in Suffolk to finally get on its way.
The aid should arrive in Basra within 10 to 20 days of leaving the UK and the Iraqi Government has pledged to help get it to Sinjar in the north under armed escort.
‘I was absolutely gobsmacked to see it all in the warehouse and that was just some of it. There was still more in another warehouse,’ said Fiona, who is now planning a skydive to raise more funds.
‘I’m so thankful to everyone who has helped on the way to get this aid to where it is so desperately needed, from the Scottish Government to individuals, family and friends. I thank them all.’
For every extra £450 raised, the charity International Health Partners is donating an emergency pack of medication worth £4,100.
To make a donation go to Yazda’s website and see the donate page.