Funds needed to expand charity's presence

Date: 9/19/2012

By Carley Dangona

carley@thereminder.com

WEST SPRINGFIELD — Mags Riordan, an Ireland native and founder of Billy's Malawi Project (BMP), will be at the Big E until Sept. 23, collecting donations to fund a third building for the foundation's Cape Maclear medical clinic in Malawi, Africa.

The board for the U.S. chapter of BMP is based in Western Massachusetts.

The number of patients in need of HIV treatment is so great, that an additional structure is necessary to house a separate treatment facility, she explained.

"We see close to 820 patients at the HIV clinic each month and that number is growing," Riordan said. "The rate of HIV in the area [Chembe Village] is 35 to 40 percent [of the population]."

The fundraising has just begun for this project — $100,000 would cover both the expense of the building and its needed medical equipment. The new structure would be designated to HIV testing and the disbursement of antiretroviral prescriptions.

"Malawi is a country whose life expectancy is 39," Riordan stated. "The very large population is comprised of many young people. Educational reserves are minimal, with one in a hundred females and seven in a hundred males finishing school. [At the organization's clinic] sex education is part of the treatment."

The BMP clinic is the only medical facility in the area. "The clinic is a lifeline," Riordan said. "It's a focal point somewhere for people to go to, somewhere for people to return to [when in need of medical attention]."

She continued, "Residents have more confidence knowing it's there. It's an enclave in the middle of Malawi."

Riordan created the BMP in honor of her son Billy, who drowned in 1999 in Cape Maclear, during his third visit to Malawi. The main Ireland branch of BMP was established in 2002 and the U.S. branch started in 2003.

The clinic opened in 2004 and has daily hours. Ninety-seven cents of every dollar [or every Euro] donated goes directly to the charity.

Riordan made her first trip to Malawi in 2000 and inspired by the nature of its people. "The people are resilient," she explained. "The extreme poverty and the abysmal living conditions really hit me. Yet, they are always upbeat and positive, even when facing huge, even catastrophic events."

In addition to accepting collections for her foundation, Riordan is selling homemade goods from the Malawi village. The BMP booth is located in the Young Building on the Big E fairgrounds. This is her seventh appearance at the fair.

For more information about BMP, visit www.billysmalawiprojectusa.org or billysmalawiproject.org. For details about the Big E go to, www.thebige.com/fair.