Former teacher helps with flood aid

Liz with orphans on a previous visit.

A RETIRED Forres Academy teacher has praised local people for their help in response to devastating floods in Africa.

Liz Stewart is flying out today (Wednesday) to Malawi where at least 56 people have been killed following flash floods that have left another 83,000 homeless in the country.

Over the past decade, pupils and adults belonging to FLAG – the Forres Luchenza Action Group – have raised tens of thousands of pounds for a school in Malawi called Luchenza CDSS.

This money has seen the construction of a set of classrooms known as the Forres Academy Block.

In addition, FLAG has set up an eight acre garden to help people from the area in growing crops such as maize.

Liz said: "I haven't been able to establish contact yet but I'm hoping that most of what we've helped to build will have survived the floods.

"The school is built on top of a small hill so it should be okay.

"However, the garden may well have been destroyed. It was planted right next to the river so you didn't have to walk too far for water.

"It's exactly the wrong time for a flood. It was just coming up to harvest time."

In the past few days more than £700 has been pledged to an emergency fund set up by Liz on social media.

She said: "It's very gratifying that people have been so generous and shown such trust.

"All I can do in return is to guarantee that every penny donated will go to people who need it."

During the past decade Liz has taken 27 supporters of FLAG to Malawi to help at Luchenza.

Liz will fly out there on Wednesday via Aberdeen and Manchester airports, as well as Ethiopia's capital city Addis Ababa.
It's a journey that will take at least 24 hours.

She expects to stay a few miles from Luchenza with a young primary school teacher called Emanuel who she describes as an "adopted son".

Online footage from Malawi shows the havoc the floods have wrought, with rivers in spate and dead bodies washed up at the side of the road.

Added to Liz's worries is an outbreak of cholera in the region following the devastating floods.

Amongst the many struck down with the disease is Kevin, one of Emanuel's twin eight-month-old children.

Liz said: "We need cement to rebuild and seed and fertilisers and sheet iron roofing and maizemeal and waterproof sheeting in the short term. I can purchase what is needed in Luchenza and react to the situation I find on the ground.

I'm intending to stay over there for three weeks, but I'll stay longer if I think I can do some good by staying."

To donate and learn more go to Facebook and type 'Liz Stewart Forres'.