Thanks expressed for Maintain Hope support

Legato from CPC performing at 'Christmas at Castlemartin'

"We couldn't do it without you," Gerry O'Donoghue told those who attended the 'Christmas at Castlemartin' fundraiser for Maintain Hope during the week in St Mary's Church on the Castlemartin Estate, writes Brian Byrne.

Noting that it is the ninth year that the charity has been going to Shelter Home in Ngong in Kenya, he said the 196 children there need a dry bed and full bellies when they go to bed at night, and it takes €28,000 a year to achieve that. "And we need another €8,000 for the children we are supporting through High School and we also have two senior children who are in third level college."

He revealed that some of the children they knew first as young teenagers have done well for themselves as a result of being able to gain an education. "We have one who is a lawyer, another is an investigator with a security company, and one is a marketing manager. So thanks to the support we get from people like yourselves, we are able to make that difference to those children."

Typically every summer Maintain Hope spends between €20,000-€40,000 on capital projects in the building programme. Gerry thanked the 264 volunteers who have gone to Kenya over the years on the summer building programme. "We couldn't do it if we didn't get the support from communities like Kilcullen."

He emphasised that all administration costs of the charity are borne personally by the directors, or by sponsorship from some schools. "All Maintain Hope owns is a secondhand laptop. Nobody gets paid except our co-workers in Shelter and the local builders and security people. So every single penny that is raised goes to the children."

He concluded by saying that all the children in Shelter want those here in Ireland who have supported the effort to know that they really appreciate the difference it has made in their lives.

You can hear Gerry's talk by clicking below.