Orphans draw UAE expat to Africa

Some of the children at the Sparkle Malawi orphanage who have captured the heart of Dubai expat Sarah Brook. Courtesy Sarah Brooks

DUBAI// A British woman who set up an orphanage in Malawi is leaving Dubai and moving to the East African country to support hundreds of children.

Sarah Brook first visited Malawi seven years ago. After a near-death experience there – as a result of a bowel complication – she promised to give back to the country that saved her life. She did so by establishing the Sparkle Malawi orphanage in the village of Skinner, near Zomba.

The home costs about Dh108,000 a year to run.

Ms Brooks has been funding it with her salary from Total Communications, hosting sponsorship events and encouraging others to sponsor a child – at a cost of Dh60 a month.

However, she has now decided that she can do more good by being at the orphanage full time rather than making trips out there every two to three months.

“I had gone back to Malawi last November and the country had been hit by starvation,” she said. “The number of orphans had doubled and there was a huge waiting list.

“You can’t just walk away. In two years I have invested around Dh150,000 but that has helped save 78 lives.”

Her work has drawn support from a group of like-minded people in the UAE.

Tarek Ahmed, an Egyptian engineer living in Mirdif, is helping Sparkle with logistics and fund raising.

“You see famous people helping with these kind of projects but it’s not always easy to get

involved,” said the 26-year-old.

“With this you can see exactly where the money is going.”

Dubai resident Diala Jarrar, 27, from Syria, is using her marketing experience to help and is planning a trip to Malawi next year.

“When I met Sarah, I could understand her passion and just wanted to help,” she said.

Long-term ambitions are for the orphanage to grow its own crops and raise livestock.

For more details go to www.sparklemalawi.org, contact [e-mail] or call 055 3946 865.