A little goes a long way

When it comes to charity, a band of dedicated fundraisers are proving that a little can go a very long way.

Since setting up the Third World Group 25 years ago, parishioners at Motherwell Cathedral have raised £70,000 for SCIAF – one pound at a time. Their incredible contribution has given frresh hope to thousands of people in developing countries, including refugees and people with disabilities.

“We started out in 1983”, said the group’s Mary Lunny. “We decided we’d each ask 10 friends and family members to give £1 a month to SCIAF. It didn’t seem like a lot but there were 24 of us and we realised we could raise £240 a time.

“It’s so easy – you don’t have to sell raffle tickets or organise events, you just give your £1 every month and that’s it. We bank the money each month and once we reach a certain target we give it to SCIAF and let them decide where it is most needed”

Over the years, the Third World Group has helped people in some of the world’s poorest countries work their way out of poverty and towards a better life. Past donations have been used to provide refugees, forced from their homes by war and natural disasters, with food, water, shelter, education and medical care. Money raised by the Third World Group has also given hundreds of people with disabilities access to the wheelchairs, medical treatment and training they need to lead independent lives.

Although only three of the founding members – Teresa Sloan, Mary Lunny and Lila Hughes – remain, they are still going strong.

Teresa said: “There are still people who are giving us money after all those years and some of the younger ones whose parents used to give to us are continuing the tradition. People are very generous because they trust SCIAF to take their donations and use them where there is the greatest need.”

Mary and Teresa visited SCIAF’s headquarters in Glasgow recently to hand over a cheque for £2,000. The money will be used to help communities in Brazil who are being pushed off their land to make way for sugar cane which is used to produce bio-fuels.

Teresa added: “It’s terrible to think of how big corporations with money behind them are just trampling poor communities into the ground in Brazil so it’s good to know that the money we raise will go towards helping them get land rights. SCIAF projects are all monitored so we know that the money we give will go towards helping people to improve their lives, not lining the pockets of corrupt governments.”

SCIAF’s Head of Education and Communication, Mary Cullen said: “The Motherwell Third World Group has given to some of the neediest people in the world. The donations we receive from the Scottish public make SCIAF’s life-changing work possible and I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the Third World Group for their sustained generosity over the years.

“Refugees, people with disabilities and those who are being thrown off their land so that it can be used to produce bio-fuels or exploited for its mineral wealth are among the very poorest of the poor. By giving just £1 a month, people in Motherwell are giving fresh hope to those in desperate need.”