Hi I’m Tiernan, a first year computer science student from Tullamore, Co. Offaly. I came across this charity a few months ago and while doing some research I was shocked that I hadn’t known about them before. 

Bacterial meningitis is one of the biggest killers in the world,. especially among young children. It is responsible for more deaths worldwide than AIDS, measles, malaria and tetanus all combined. And in 2019 over 236,000 deaths were caused by meningitis, half of these deaths were children under the age of 5.

Meningitis affects around 2.5 million people worldwide every year. Killing 1 in 10 people who contract it. 1 in 5 have long term effects including hearing loss, epilepsy, vision difficulties, speech and languages difficulties, memory loss, scarring and amputations.

All funds raised go directly to MRF, who aim to defeat meningitis and septicemia by 2030. They are at the heart of the initiative that is working with the World Health Organisation and leading experts on the disease to tackle meningitis globally.

If I hit my fundraising target I will climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa in August 2023. Which is the tallest mountain in Africa and the tallest freestanding mountain in the world.