Maltese accountant Nicky Gouder and his wife Maxine have launched an appeal to raise funds desperately needed to continue supporting several projects in Ethiopia and Kenya.

Over the last nine years, Mr Gouder has been heavily involved in supporting various initiatives as part of the mission in both Kenya and Ethiopia. Since 2014, he has been involved in building schools, hospitals and providing clean water facilities for its inhabitants, as well as fundraising campaigns such as this. He has witnessed first hand how even the smallest donation goes a long way towards changing the lives of these individuals, delivering hope and faith that there is a better future ahead.

Projects already undertaken include the building of houses for families suffering from leprosy in the poverty-stricken area of Ambo, Ethiopia and providing water pumps and water filtration systems to many communities has been a key part of their ongoing work. One project which remains particularly close to the heart of the missionary movement was the provision of water pumps and tanks to an orphanage in Kakamega, Kenya, which can now provide fresh water to over 270 children each day.

This new appeal focuses on the area of on Dupha, located 35km from the remote town of Bonga in the southwest of Ethiopia. The area is one where poverty is rife, families with as many as 12 children struggle to provide the necessities we in Malta take for granted.

Provisions such as food, clothing and materials for school are financially out of reach for most and due to the areas isolated location, finding jobs and sources of income is a logistically impossible task. The incredible work, which has already been carried out by a number of volunteers, continues to bring basic humanitarian assistance to around 2,200 people who need it.

The latest project will be the construction of a kindergarten facility in the village. It will provide education, care and support to the area’s most vulnerable children and will also help ease the burden on their struggling families. The total that the couple have pledged to raise by December is €27,000, which will go towards the construction of the kindergarten facility in the village of Dupha, as well as ensuring that every child attending will receive one meal per day.

School for our children, free education, water, electric, internet, access to healthcare and every kind of food we can imagine – these are all things we enjoy every day and do not give a second thought to just how lucky we are to have them. It is this realisation which motivated Mr Gouder to devote so much of his time and energy to this cause. Therefore, he is calling on the Maltese to spare a thought for those who are less fortunate and to donate an amount they can spare, to enrich the lives of these children and their families.

While they say that charity starts at home, one has to spare a thought for those who do not have a home, or food, or access to clean water and good healthcare, and remember that a small donation is a life-changing amount for these people.

To find out more about this project and to donate, visit http://ethiopiaproject.org .