Chairman inspired to highlight plight of African communities Joanna Southgate, Chairman of Wilmslow Wells for Africa, describes here how she became involved and what she hopes to achieve. "I joined the committee of Wilmslow Wells in 1993, having heard an inspirational talk by the founder, Brenda Mottershead, at St John's Church, Lindow, of which I am a member. "At the time, the charity was seeking to enlarge its committee and I felt strongly that God was calling me to help. In 1996, I took over the chairmanship of the fund-raising committee and I became a Trustee in 1998. "Following in the footsteps of such an amazing person as Brenda was a daunting prospect; but I believe that God does not call the qualified but that He qualifies the called and He has been faithful to me over the years. "Gradually, as a committee, we have increased the number of our fund-raising events. We aim to make them both enjoyable and good value, whilst engendering a sense of community and raising an awareness of the plight of many African communities, who enjoy none of the facilities which we, so often, take for granted. "We receive proposals for water projects from a variety of sources, but we try, wherever possible, to work with Christian organisations. This reduces the chances of corruption and, hopefully, the practical application of the Gospel, through the provision of a clean water source, might be witnessed by all those concerned. "It is wonderful to receive reports and photographs following the completion of a project, and it is humbling to see the look of pure joy on the faces of those people who are, perhaps, experiencing clean water for the first time in their lives. "We are, indeed, blessed in this country. With life-expectancy in Africa still put at about half that in Britain, with many premature deaths caused by water-borne diseases, I feel we have a burden of responsibility to continue the work that Brenda started 21 years ago. As partners in this venture, I hope you agree."

Inspired: Joanna Southgate Supported: Doreen Lunghu, who is sponsored by Joanna and her husband, Roger. click on the photo to enlarge