AIDS victims amazed to be touched by a European woman

[Guest guest]

Super charity worker needs help in Aids fight

FORMER supermarket check-out operator Sheila is helping to

build a hospital for HIV patients in India.

Work on the hospital, in Bangalore, has started thanks to donations

and fund-raising in this country.

She has been joined by Eileen , from , near Newmarket,

who started fundraising earlier this year. Mrs , 63, first

went to India in 2002 on a sabbatical after completing 25 years

service at Newmarket's Waitrose supermarket.

After her retirement she decided to stay on in India to help the

mainly terminally- ill patients.

Having worked with different organisations in India, she has now

teamed up with an Indian doctor and his wife who have worked with

HIV and AIDS victims for more than 10 years.

So far around £3,500 has been raised. This includes more than £900

raised by Mrs 's friends and family at a farewell disco for her.

Mrs , 63, formerly from Soham, raised money in the Gateshead

area where she originally comes from, as well as in the Newmarket

area. This included £300 from the Fordham church Christmas

collection plate.

She said: " We started building at the end of April. It will have

just six beds to start with, but there is the opportunity to extend

the building outwards and upwards when the money is available. "

Mrs said the hospital was the dream of Dr Nagaraj, the

doctor she has teamed up with.

She said: " He wants to keep the HIV and tuberculosis patients

separate. It will be for critical care. "

Mrs and Mrs have been helping patients with massage

and other support. The hospital is called the Good Shepherd Health

Centre and also offers home-based care for patients.

Mrs , who has four children and five grandchildren, has

opened a special bank account at HSBC to receive donations towards

the hospital appeal.

The sort code is 40-34- 38 and the account number is 51360582.

Mrs , whose children and grandchildren live in the Soham and

Newmarket areas, previously worked for a charity called the Freedom

Foundation. But she decided to team up with the doctor to start a

new hospital to make sure all cash donations go to where they are

most needed.

She said HIV and AIDS victims suffered rejection in India. Many of

them were amazed to be touched and helped by a European woman.

She said: " They are wonderful people who are just innocent victims. "

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