A sporting chance for Tsunami survivors

Methodist Relief and Development Fund (MRDF) partners willfeature in a Sport Relief documentary to be broadcast on BBC1 onWednesday 7 June.

Sport Relief GoesÉAll Out For India follows a group of famous facesas they play a series of cricket matches across India and witnessfirst hand how money raised through Sport Relief is being used tochange lives. With former England spinner Phil Tufnell leadingthem, the NatWest Sport Relief Red Socks face three mightycricketing challenges - first against two teams who have benefitedfrom Sport Relief money and then the grand finale against a line-upof Bollywood superstars.

MRDF partner organisation, Rural Development Society, received aSport Relief grant last year to help fishing communities who hadlost everything in the Tsunami. This grant, combined with moneydonated to MRDF by UK Methodist churches, is being used to helppeople recover from their trauma, re-establish ways of earning aliving and regain hope for the future.

In the documentary, TV presenter Dermot O'Leary visits women from acoastal village that was almost entirely flattened by the Tsunami.He joins the women at work picking oysters and visits a clinic intheir village set up by Rural Development Society to deal withhealth problems caused directly by the Tsunami and by thesubsequent rise in poverty.

Sarah Hagger, MRDF's Media and Communications Officer, whoaccompanied the film crew in India, says: 'I was privileged tovisit these communities and see for myself that progress is beingmade, despite the scale of the devastation caused by the Tsunami.It is encouraging that, thanks to this documentary, millions morepeople will be able to see how MRDF partners are caring forcommunities in desperate need. The filming itself had a positiveeffect on morale in the village, as they were touched that so manypeople in the UK were concerned about what had happened to themduring the Tsunami. I'd urge all Methodist churches and individualswho gave to MRDF's Tsunami appeal to watch this documentary, it'san ideal opportunity to see how your donations can have a realimpact.'