A record €202,316 was raised in aid of Moviment Ġesù fil-Proxxmu during a 12-hour telethon on Sunday.

The funds will help Maltese missionaries in Ethiopia to buy medicines as they grapple with an unusual, widespread and deadly malaria outbreak in a region they have been working in for 30 years.

The Maltese missionaries run more than 100 schools and clinics that they have built over the decades in the Jimma Bonga region of Kaffa, Ethiopia.

The region has long been plagued by other diseases and poverty challenges.

But malaria was never one of them, and the devastating outbreak that has struck in recent months caught them off guard and left them struggling to provide enough medication for everyone.

Nobody – not even the state authorities – is entirely sure what caused the outbreak, but they believe the effects of climate change could have played a part.

People can still donate €15 by calling on 5170 2004, €25 on 5180 2005 , and on €50 5190 2063. They can also donate through myAPS or BOV mobile on 7985 3611 or by SMS on 50618933 for a donation of €6.99.

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