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Text Box: "Heart to Heart & Friends Sing for Africa" project was started in 2002. Fr. Martin McCormack was chatting with Sheila and Mike about his work in Swaziland, Lesotho and Johannesburg. As a result of the grinding poverty and ongoing battle with disease of all kinds, more and more resources are required to alleviate to some degree the horrendous suffering of these people. Here are a few paragraphs taken from one of Fr. Martins letters to Sheila; "I was sitting by his bedside in the Swazi heat, in the Hope House Hospice for the dying. I had no drugs to take away the pain and let peace linger in his wracked body. The was a feeling of both sadness and anger in me. For the past seven years, I have spent my summer months from school up close and personal with people dying from all sorts of diseases. I have seen and endured the tortured face of illness grimacing with the pain of fever and nausea.. Elderly people and young people looking like 70 year olds waiting for the release of death." Fr.Martin comes from Ballydesmond and has been friends with Sheila and Mike for many years. He is a member of the Salesian Order and spent five years in Swaziland around the time of his Ordination in 1983. . He has spent many years teaching in Pallaskenry in Limerick, returning to Africa to work during the three months summer holiday from School each year. This year, 2008, Fr. Martin has returned to Africa for an indefinite period to work among the poorest of the poor. To date, "Sing for Africa" has raised approximately E44,000. The first projects were a series of Musical nights run at various locations around Cork and Kerry. Several musician friends of Sheila and Mike joined them at these concerts. In 2005 . Sheila and Mike decided to record a Compilation CD featuring several of their friends in the music business. This Album contained 16 Tracks. The title track was "Song for Africa" which Sheila composed specially for the project. Another very special contribution was "Sweet Kingwilliamstown" sung by Sheilas Dad Michael Healy who passed away in 2005. In 2006 Sheila availed of an opportunity to go to Africa for three weeks to see at first hand the various projects that were up and running as a result of all the Sing for Africa Fundraisers. Details of this trip can be found on this web page under the heading "Trip to Africa". "Sing for Africa" has had a domino effect, as far away as Birmingham in the UK where the St. Francis Club in Handsworth has for the past few years raised substantial amounts of money. This is a yearly occurrence when Sheila and Mike are on tour in the UK and play the St. Francis. In June 2008, Sheila and Mike organized "Sing for Africa" Masses in their local Parishes of Ballydesmond and Kiskeam. The response was overwhelming with an excess of E8,000 collected. I received a letter from Sr. Therese John of Hope House Hospice in Manzini, Swaziland a few days after Fr. Martin lodged the money in their account; She says "The money was transferred to our account this morning and it was like Manna from the heavens. It allows us to purchase some much needed medicines for the patients. Your Sing for Africa project has done so much good out here you cannot imagine. We blessed the last 7 hospice houses in Dec. 2007 and it was such a happy day for all of us." "Sing for Africa is an ongoing project so if there are any readers who would like to contribute in any way, please contact us at; sheilah2h@eircom.net or call us at 064 51252. or from Abroad; 00353 64 51252.  

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