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Reporter visits Malawi for North East famine launch

An appeal launched by The Journal, Newcastle, to help the victims of Africa’s famine has received the personal backing of Tony Blair.

Responding to calls for help from North East aid workers, feature writer Anna Ralph went to Malawi and produced a series of hard-hitting reports chronicling the major humanitarian disaster that has hit the country.

The North’s morning paper responded by producing a special edition devoting five pages to the crisis on Friday and launching a major appeal to help raise money for Unicef, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the international development charity VSO, in an effort to help some of the millions of children whose lives have been torn apart by famine and Aids.

During his visit to the North East on the day of publication, the Prime Minister took time out of his busy schedule to give his full support to the paper’s campaign, urging people to give what they can to prevent a major human disaster in Malawi.

His comments made the front page of the next day’s Journal.

He told The Journal that his Government had ordered action at every level to help those hit by famine in Southern Africa and said: “I give my full backing to this campaign and I think it’s excellent The Journal is doing it.

“These people need money, they need it quickly, and the money will be well used. All the development organisations are coming together to make sure what money is given goes straight down to the people.

“We are obviously committing a certain amount of funds from Government but also we are working with the aid agencies, bringing them together to make sure there is a lot of co-operative effort.

“And in addition to that we are trying to work with the governments concerned to eliminate any of the problems there are in getting the food to people. The final thing we are doing is trying to get the rest of Europe and also other countries like America to be involved as well.

“I would encourage The Journal’s readers to give what they can because it is a very, very serious situation and there are many, many children dying as a result.”

The paper followed up its special with a series of in-paper reports from Anna Ralph.

She said: “The plight of the people of Malawi is desperate, we have to do all we can to prevent a catastrophe and save innocent lives. My visit also showed the hard work, in awful conditions, being carried out by charity workers out there.”

The paper’s editor Ged Henderson commented: “The people of our region have shown time and time again their generosity in helping communities at home and abroad, we have no doubt they will respond magnificently to our call.

“We are also delighted to hear Tony Blair’s pledge that his Government will do everything it can to help.”

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