When Revd Scott Patterson, from Curry Rivel and his wife Rowan launched Twin My Vaccine to help deliver vaccines to some of the poorest countries in the world, they were hoping for around £1,000 in donations, today the amount given has topped £120,000.
At one point the Twin My Vaccine total, was increasing by around a thousand pounds an hour. Scott said: "It is an opportunity to celebrate what we have here in the UK by being generous. The response has been great, wherever the campaign has reached people they have been massively generous and so very warm."
Echoing those thoughts Rowan added, "We feel simultaneously unsurprised - because it seems such an obvious thing to support - and constantly delighted." She went on to say, "I think there is something really nice for people, going and being protected themselves and then coming home and going online and making a donation."
In February Scott and Rowan began the campaign to help raise funds for communities across the world who are struggling to vaccinate their population against Covid 19. They asked friends and family to consider the fact they could probably afford to pay for their vaccine, and asked them to consider donating that money to help get everyone in the world vaccinated. So Twin My Vaccine was born.
"People are so delighted that they or their family and friends have received the vaccine that the idea to help others seems to have resonated. Two doses of vaccine (depending on which kind you have) might be worth between £4 and £30, plus the time and expertise needed to administer it. The funds donated go to help support UNICEF which has vast experience in delivering vaccines worldwide and so will be major partners in distributing vaccines to the very poorest in the world through their association with the COVAX programme."
Bishop Ruth said of the ‘twin my vaccine’ idea: “The global perspective can sometimes get overlooked amidst all the pressing needs around us however your actions demonstrate God’s loving generosity to all. It really is important that we don’t allow our own anxieties for our nation to become one that gets caught up in a selfish response without concern for others around the world. If we are truly going to beat the virus then we need to pay attention to those who are even more vulnerable than ourselves.”
Rowan and Scott added that whilst the amount raised is amazing, it is a tiny fraction of the overall amount needed. “Yes, we've smashed our target of £100,000, but there is a 550 million pound hole in the overall funding needed to hit UNICEF's 200 billion covid vaccine target. So let's see how much of a splash we can make in the ocean.”
Rowan and Scott would like to thank everyone who has donated. If you have the financial resources and would like to donate, you can do so on Scott and Rowan’s JustGiving page.
Find out more about how UNICEF is working with the World Health Organisation to distribute vaccines to the very poorest in the world through the COVAX programme.