'Maintain Hope' work ahead of schedule

With one week completed of their two weeks working on the Operation Maintain Hope project in Kenya, the word from Gerry O'Donoghue is that the building work is going well and ahead of schedule.

There are six Kilcullen volunteers with the group based at Shelter Children's Home in Ngong, Nairobi: Holly Bathe, Lacey Mullins, Gabrielle Berney Keane, Trish McDonald, Lorraine Schwer and Esther Reddy.

They are part of a larger group which, as well as undertaking building work, provides learning support and counselling to the children in the home.

Operation Maintain Hope was established four years ago after Gerry O'Donoghue, the Principal of Athgarvan NS, came across the orphanage while on a trip to the locality.

Since then, some 150 volunteers have completed two-week summer placements with the charity. In addition to upgrading the facilities at the Ngong orphanage, the organisation has helped build school buildings and provide teacher training in Mombasa.

It has bought a bus to transport the orphanage children to and from school, established a food programme, and developed a programme to support the children through further education.

The news update came at the weekend in a phone call from Gerry, who also noted that most of the 'builder' volunteers working there were women.