A WOKINGHAM resident has been busy 'doing her bit' by selling face masks, and giving the profits to humanitarian aid.

Shirley Smith, Wokingham resident, has been voluntarily making protective face-masks and selling them to locals, with all of the proceeds going to help the poorest communities survive the pandemic in Madagascar, the country with one of the worst healthcare systems in the world.

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Her and other volunteers have been devoting their time to selling the masks, as less than a fifth of the proceeds (£5 per mask, £1 shipping) means one new mask can be built from scratch in Madagascar.

For each £1 donated, the costs of the materials, distribution and more than twice the minimum wage is covered, and produces one new mask in the country.

Therefore, for each mask bought in the UK another five masks can be made and distributed in Madagascar.

Ms Smith visited the south-east African island for the first time in 2006, and has been returning ever since in order to help out in community projects and for research for her doctorate at the University of Reading.

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Mark Jacobs, director for SEED Madagascar, said: "Helping communities halt the spread of Coronavirus is vital.

"We’ve commissioned over 7,000 masks so far and we’re doing all we can to protect the most vulnerable, but we need more support to build our response.

"It is terrifying to think about what this pandemic will do in Madagascar."

To buy a mask, visit madagascar.enthuse.com/cf/13a7#!/.

For more information, visit madagascar.co.uk/.