Giving something back

Maureen’s passion stems from some very strong core values. The sentence positive energy and kindness towards others are how the charity name was decided which means “Mettha” in Sri Lanka.

Giving something back

Maureen went on holiday to Sri Lanka in 2007 and from then onwards, she has done whatever she could to support the country. She has experienced for herself the complete devastation this has had on families and the livelihoods of many being left with nothing.

This is a remarkable story of how one person has made such a difference and has given up so much to help those who greatly need our support. In December 2021 after several amazing years of fundraising a new charity “Mettha Care” was born.

A True Hero

Maureen’s passion stems from some very strong core values. The sentence positive energy and kindness towards others are how the charity name was decided which means “Mettha” in Sri Lanka.
Maureen started her amazing generosity in 2007 on that first holiday by giving away her own holiday money, she was so shocked by the hardship the local people were suffering from that she knew that she wanted to make a difference.
As a result of the Tsunami in 2004 many kids were orphaned and there were so many orphanages in need of help. So Maureen started doing some voluntary work in the orphanages by bringing across food, clothes and especially shoes for the kids.

Maureen also went over to Sri Lanka to take the kids on many supervised days out and often brought them ice cream to help make them smile, especially considering how their daily life has an impact on their emotional wellbeing.

This journey originally started by bringing over simple but essential things which often we take for granted in society. Her love and passion for helping others and seeing their faces light up brought her back every year after that.

Each year Maureen collects items from her family and friends, and she often sets up quizzes and raffles before going over so each year the donations become greater.

With the increased support and donations from her family friends and neighbours, Maureen has also started shipping out toys and kids' clothes from her home in Ireland.

Going from strength to strength

With something that started by giving away some holiday money, Maureen soon found many other ways to increase the support each year.
She progressed into buying school books for the children including their uniforms so they could have the educational right to attend school like any other child with the essentials. She also bought bed linen so that the children could come home to a clean bed and provided funding so that they could have at least one good meal per day.
Then as a family, they started supporting families every month too. The charity has been able to grow so that they can end a set amount of money to cover bills and food, and if the kids are of school age they help to pay their fees, buy their books and school uniforms. The charity now financially supports over 20 families every month.

Rebuilding for the future

Just over two years ago the Charity has begun to help rebuild part of Sri Lanka’s infrastructure. They are now involved in helping with several exciting housing projects. Currently, 4 houses have been fully built and one is also in progress. This process is enabling families to come out of shanty houses or sheds and gives them back a solid-built house which is safe and provides a more pleasant environment to live in.

Making a difference

This year Maureen has moved into health projects concentrating on helping girls and women. There is a simple story as to why she does what she does: When a woman gets diagnosed with breast cancer, she is required to bring a plastic container with a lid, so the tissue removed is put into the container for analysis. In Sri Lanka after the devastation to their livelihoods and standard of living the hospitals can't afford these containers.

Can you imagine a female in Europe being asked to supply their very own container before surgery? It's these simple things that can be improved and changed for very little.

The health development programmer is growing in size, and they are currently working on building a mobile unit for women's health checks. They hope to have this completed and in full operation within the next 2 years which shows the ambitions which can only be admired.

Also, this year while Maureen was in Sri Lanka she was asked if she could supply sheets to a hospital as patients were lying on beds with no sheets present. To most people, this seems unimaginable, but sadly it is actually happening. Maureen has supplied over 1000 bedsheets and now even has an agreement with some 5* Hotels that they donate their sheets to the hospital every 2 months. The Sheets are cut to size and sanitised and donated. This is not ideal but it's a solution to a crisis.

Conclusion

Maureen is going through an amazing crusade, but of course, there's so much more that can be done to help fight this terrible poverty and to support a country that has suffered so very badly. Maureen has shown just how she can make a personal difference and the even more amazing thing is that she has now extended her generosity whereby all of the profits made in her recruitment business “Sapphire Recruitment” are going to the charity.
Maureen’s recruitment company which is part of our growing EPSN network, also even tries to relocate as many Sri Lankan Chefs as possible. This is giving them a job outside of their county and this provides them with a better income and takes them and their families out of the horrible poverty. We would like to support Maureen wherever we can and continue promoting this right across the Network.
This is an amazing person who is doing amazing things. who realises and expresses in her own words “I can't change the poverty experienced in the world but I will have a good go at trying.”
Please feel free to have a look at what else she has been involved in and any support will be gratefully received.