Help our Paul to help in Calcutta
Our youngest son Paul is just finishing his degree course in UCD and plans to eventually work in the overseas aid and development field, writes Brian Byrne, editor of the Kilcullen Diary.
His three-month stint is under the auspices of Irish-based NGO Suas, which provides this kind of assistance to projects in India and Kenya. It won't be a holiday—temperatures in Calcutta in the summer are a stifling 40degC-plus most of the time and conditions are generally tough. They don't call it the Black Hole for nothing.
The group he will work with in Calcutta is Sabu Sangha, which has been promoting health, education, and women's rights and empowerment, for 50 years.
Paul worked for a number of years in insurance before going back to College, and he has also travelled extensively in India, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam as well as closer to home in Egypt, Palestine and Israel. He has a big interest in development matters, and has sought this Suas placement to help him understand the role he could take after completion of his studies, and suss out the positive things he could do.
Paul has to fund his placement to the tune of around €3,000. He has organised a number of functions in UCD and outside to raise money, and we're looking to get him some help from his home town.
If you want to contribute something directly, however small, you can do so on his mycharity.ie page. We're also organising a Table Quiz in Bardons for Monday 23 April, under the usual Bardons T&Cs (€40 a table of four, good craic and company from 8.30pm).
Book your team table by emailing the Diary, or phoning me at 086 8267104. If you want to know more about it all, Paul has written a page in the current Bridge.
Click on the ad for details
