Dengue Fever Appeal - Update 17 July

A big thanks to all of you who have donated to our Dengue Fever Appeal. The peak risk period has not yet been reached and we need to raise additional funds to protect the existing children and prepare for additional babies being admitted to the orphanage on a daily basis.

See the video news report from the BBC here.

If you are able to help, please click here and mark your donation 'Dengue'.

Inaugural Al Murray Golf Classic - 21 September

CamKids is delighted to announce that it will be the beneficiary of the Inaugural Al Murray Golf Classic, to be held at the Wyke Green Golf Club, Syon Lane, Osterley, Isleworth, Middlesex TW7 5PT on Friday 21st September, from midday to midnight.

Playing tickets cost £100, which includes 18 holes of golf, a free exclusive souvenir golf shirt, 3-course meal with wine on the tables, guests, Pub Landlord jacket for the winners, DJ, entertainment and lots more. Non-playing tickets are £50, which includes a 3-course meal with wine on the tables and the evening's entertainment.

For more details of the event, celebrity guests and activities, watch this weblog or contact Dom at: golf@camkids.org.

To purchase tickets, contact Dom or send a message from the sidebar on the right of this weblog. Player tickets are limited to 60 and most have already been snapped up - hurry to avoid disappointment !!

Emergency Appeal - Dengue Fever Outbreak

We have received an urgent request for funding and sourcing of supplies to deal with a massive outbreak of Dengue Fever (a mosquito-borne infection) in Cambodia. The Director of SOS, the local NGO which we work with in Cambodia, had this to say:

" We are extremely busy as Cambodia is in the midst of a major Dengue epidemic. The levels are 5 times worse than normal and growing and hospitals are literally overflowing into the streets. Any children in hospital that are perceived as 'out of immediate danger' have to leave the hospital as bed space is urgently required. This means that we have been asked to take many abandoned and still sick children over the past few weeks and we anticipate more coming in as the epidemic worsens. Some, we hope, will be claimed back by their families afterwards.

Just to give you an idea of the scale of the problem, the National Pediatric Hospital has reported on TV that they have seen 90 new Dengue admittances per day for the past month. There are 4 other hospitals in Phnom Penh of a similar size to NPH, which are believed to be experiencing similar levels of admittances.

In this unusual situation we are asking everyone we can think of to help with donations to cover the following items:

Cans of Lactogen 1 & 2
Cans of Allsoy or Nansoy (for use when a baby has diarrhea)
Warm cot blankets and sheets
Plastic cot mats
Terry nappy squares
Extra mossie nets for cots / bunk beds
Tiny baby grows/socks/hats/mittens (it’s all about keeping warm especially at night – it’s cool and windy there now)
IV lines and fluid packs
Rehydration salts
Diarrhea medicines
Napisan
Dettol/bleach "

Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world and its healthcare system just cannot cope with an emergency on this scale - annual government spending on healthcare is about $3 per person (source: World Bank). The WHO and other international organisations, whilst doing their best, simply cannot react quickly enough in rural locations to save the most vulnerable victims of this outbreak - the children. However, CamKids will be providing funds to assist SOS to save the lives of as many babies and children as possible and any donation you are able to make will literally help to save lives.

Our funds are limited and if you are able to make a donation to CamKids to help out in this extreme emergency, please click here to make an instant online donation and enter "Emergency" in the Project field. Alternatively, send an e-mail to contact@camkids.org, to receive information on other ways to donate or help.

For news reports on the outbreak from Reuters, click here.

Al Murray and Friends Sell Out Shows

The two shows this weekend at the Tivoli Theatre in Wimborne were a sell out and the Charity raised over £20,000 - a big thank you to everyone who came to the shows, bought up all the raffle tickets and bid so enthusiastically in the auctions - it was fantastic to see people so willing to get behind the charity and do their bit to help.

Thank you to everyone involved behind the scenes, especially 'Big Dave' for organising the shows, the performers (Britain's most wanted children's entertainer - Jeremy Lion, the first German comedian anyone had ever seen - Henning Wehn and Jewish heavy metal legends - Guns 'n' Moses) and the Tivoli Theatre in Wimborne, for providing the Venue free of charge and without whom the event would not have been possible.

Also thanks to our sponsors and everyone who donated prizes and to Al's team, 'Big Bob', friends and family who helped all weekend to make sure that the shows went smoothly, with an extra special mention to all of the Tivoli's volunteer staff who gave up their weekend for CamKids.

Of course, a very special Thank You, on behalf of the Cambodian children, goes to Al Murray for his incredible generosity and hard work this weekend and throughout the year for CamKids.

Look out for more of Al's benefit shows later in the year ..........