Young disease victim spearheads students' philanthropic initiative

A new student support foundation called Amy's Friends has been set up to raise awareness on illnesses such as meningitis and increase accessibility at the University of Malta.

The idea for the foundation came about after Amy Zahra, 21, a mechanical engineering university student, contracted meningococcal septicaemia and had to undergo amputations on both her legs and parts of her fingers.

Moved to act, some of her close friends and others who simply knew of her story got together with the University Students' Council (KSU) to set up a sub-committee to raise funds for the cause under the name of Amy's Friends.

Now led by Ms Zahra herself, who is on the path to recovery, the support foundation has taken the decision to branch off and form an organisation with its own individual aims and goals.

Amy's Friends hopes to tackle areas such as the lack of health awareness in Malta, the lack of accessibility for persons with disability at the university and raise funds for charitable causes.

It will focus mainly on, but not limited to, helping university students suffering from disabilities.

Ms Zahra felt the need to set up a fund, which would cater for university students who found themselves in the situation she is currently in.

Amy's Friends has chosen to tackle areas that have been neglected in recent years and, most importantly, areas that are not being tackled by any other organisation.

It plans to achieve its goals by holding a series of health awareness campaigns and fund-raising events, maintaining close ties with the KSU and collaborating with various charities and organisations on events that are deemed to be worthy and have goals similar to its own.

www.amysfriends.info