News Release

8th January 2008

Don’t cop out! Let’s stamp out jiggers!        

Top pop rock band, The Hoosiers, communications company 3 and www.sunglassesforsport.com have all donated prizes for a new internet campaign, believed to be one of the first of its kind, to help children’s charity Feed The Children UK stamp out jiggers. A new video, which can be seen here and on various social

websites has the Hoosiers ‘Cops and Robbers’ chart success from their number 1 album ‘The Trick to Life’ as the backing track to a competition video to win signed Hoosiers memorabilia, one of 3’s latest social networking phones or sunglasses from www.sunglassesforsport.com‘s Evolution range.

Watch the video clip and enter the competition by texting your answer to 85088 or phoning 0901 292 5279. It’s that simple and what’s more, money will be raised to stamp out jiggers. So, what’s a jigger and why should we stamp it out?

The female sand flea (Tunga Penetrans), which is also known as a jigger in Uganda, is causing untold suffering to children. Jiggers embed themselves predominately in the skin of children’s feet and ankles, where they feed on the blood and flesh of their host.  Heavy infestations can lead to severe inflammation, ulceration and fibrosis. Lymphangitis, gangrene, sepsis, the loss of toenails, autoamputation of the digits and even death are potential outcomes. The females lay around 100 eggs each and thirty days later the process can start again.

The little flea with a big ‘bite’ is now the target of this new campaign by Feed The Children UK, which is promoting a programme to help stamp it out from some of the worst affected areas in Africa. You can help the charity’s two-year project by logging on to www.feedthechildren.org.uk and following the ‘jiggers’ link.

“In 2009 spare a thought for children in Africa whose education is disrupted when they can’t walk to school or whose lives are being crippled by this tiny flea,” says Brian Main, Feed The Children’s chief executive. “I have seen the jiggers work at first hand and it’s not a pretty sight! You can’t fail to want to do something about it if you witness it.”

Feed The Children’s project involves health talks, sanitation campaigns and fumigation in 14 schools and 2,148 homes, helping over 13,000 people affected by this flea.

“The total cost over two years is £154,000, a small price when you consider the long term alternative of continuing to support children crippled by this preventable infection,” adds Brian. “We are therefore appealing to people to log on and help us to stamp out jiggers.”

Feed The Children works worldwide, as well as within the UK, to develop sustainable communities and provide food and other necessities for those in great need.  The charity concentrates aid on children suffering the affects of poverty, especially those orphaned or abandoned. The charity believes that wherever there is famine, conflict, disease or poverty, it is always the children who are most vulnerable.

Feed The Children UK registered in 1994 and over the years the charity has helped millions of children and their families both at home and abroad. The charity relies on gifts from generous companies, individuals and organisations to donate the goods and financial assistance needed in order to support the various humanitarian and relief projects.