JERSEY Side by Side came into being in the wake of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami which took so many lives and shattered so many communities in south-east Asia.

The charity has, however, been active in raising money to assist people afflicted by other major disasters.

It has, for instance, helped people in Pakistan, whose homes were washed away by catastrophic floods, and assisted the surviving victims of the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, which led to an
almost unbelievable 300,000 fatalities.

Unfortunately, although Islanders unfailingly respond magnificently to appeals for aid, memories are short, and when disasters such as Haiti slip from the headlines, help can abruptly dry up. For this reason, a new Jersey Side by Side initiative has been launched and is receiving the full support of the Jersey Evening Post.

The initiative, called Big Days Out, will raise money to build 12 mills in Haiti which will enable rural communities to grind corn and maize for their own use or to take to market. At the moment, they are seeing too many of their crops rot in the fields because they cannot be processed.

Here in Jersey, Big Days Out will offer people the opportunity to visit properties, places and facilities that are ordinarily out of reach of the public, provided that they make a donation for the privilege of doing so.

Between mid-September and mid-October this fund-raising effort will allow people to step inside some of the Island’s ancient manor houses.

It is also likely that visits to the Fort Regent cavern will be arranged, and there will be access to David Gainsborough Robert’s incredible collection of memorabilia – which includes Wyatt Earp’s gun and Queen Victoria’s underwear –  and to the new incinerator, plus a chance to milk a Jersey cow without the assistance of modern machinery. The Fire and Rescue Service and Jersey Brewery will also be offering special experiences.

The primary purpose of Big Days Out will be to raise much-needed funds for a worthwhile cause. That said, the initiative has an important secondary function: it is intended to remind Jersey people that the impact of disasters may continue long after those disasters have ceased to make news, and that there is no reason why this affluent community should stop its attempts to alleviate suffering even if international attention has been diverted elsewhere.