A CHARITY helping thousands of people in Africa this week appealed for cash to help send vital items to the continent. Operation Sunshine, whose south west region is based in Tavistock, sends containers of aid which has been collected locally ? items range from clothing to school furniture and equipment. But each container costs £6,000 to send and money is needed to dispatch the latest, due to leave the UK for Zimbabwe next month. Branch co-ordinator Felicity Derry-Thomas said reports from the country told of problems in supporting children in holding camps of up to 12,000 people. She said people?s generous response to the tsunami disaster may have affected donations to Operation Sunshine. ?Some supporters have rung to say they were sending their money to that this Christmas instead of to us,? she said. ?Of course, the tsunami disaster is quite appalling, but we are supporting thousands of refugees and orphans and we can?t just drop them and support others.? Felicity stressed that none of Operation Sunshine?s workers took a penny for expenses out of the money raised. She described people?s generosity to the charity as ?just amazing?: ?We normally raise £25,000 a year,? she said. At her own expense, Felicity recently visited Zambia and met 500 orphans in three days, all clothed, shod and partly educated by people from the Tavistock area. ?I am concerned we should go on supporting them,? she said. The charity is currently writing to the Government for a list of companies who trade with Africa to see if they would help support the relief work. Felicity said: ?A number of companies in Tavistock support us, but mainly in kind, not money-wise, as they are relatively small and don?t have the backing of larger companies.? She said they were going forward in the faith that the money would be raised in time to send the container. A 40ft container was sent to North Tanzania on January 15, where a million and a half refugees from Burundi and Rwanda are being supported. A container sent earlier to the Rev Mike Lapage?s daughter Anne in Tanzania with furniture for a local school brought excited messages from her saying the school would never be the same again, Anyone who would like to make a donation or who would like more information can contact Felicity on 01822 614146 or treasurer David Philpott, 1 Bluebell Way, St David?s, Tavistock on 01822 610484.
