This article is from page 83 of the 2008-10-21 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 83 JPG
SIX years of voluntary service and dedication has seen students at St Flannan’s College raise €50,000 for vulnerable children in Calcutta.
The money was raised for the HOPE foundation, a Cork based charity that works to improve the lives of chil- dren living on the streets and in the slums of the Indian city.
St Flannan’s association with HOPE began in 2002. Since then and with the establishment of the Calcutta Youth Project, students and teachers have travelled with HOPE to work with in Calcutta.
In March 2007 two teachers, Shona Cahill and Liam Ashe, who had pre- viously worked in Calcutta, decided to bring a group of students to work with the Missionaries of Charity
The latest trip took place in Feb- ruary when four students (Stephen
Garry, Lucy Brannock, Ian Corbett and Lisa Grogan) and two teachers (Myriam Black and Elaine Dunne) travelled to Calcutta with the HOPE Foundation to see the work of the or- ganisation first hand.
In Calcutta, the group visited or- phanages and saw vocational train- ing projects.
One student described visits the group paid to some of the cities 5,500 slum area.
“Ultaganda Slum located in the center of Calcutta, is home to ap- proximately 6,000 people who live on an area the size of a soccer field. It was truly frightening and shock- ing to learn that the majority of these families live on 2000 rupees a month, the equivalent of €40. That means they live on just over €1 per day. The adults of this slum are em- ployed as van pullers, rag pickers and maids”.
The trip ended with a visit to the St. Flannans College/ HOPE/ PBK cricket coaching center. 60 children from the Kalighat area and Kid- dapore Slum travel here to train once or twice a week under qualified cricket coaches. After training the children also receive a meal.
Participating in the cricket coach- ing sessions could also provide an avenue for the skilled players to train as cricket coaches and find employ- ment as coaches in schools or cricket oils
The money raised by St. Flannan’s College pays for the coaching fees, hiring the cricket field and also pro- vides uniforms and playing equip- ment.
Preparations are already underway for next year’s Calcutta adventure. On Saturday October 25 St. Flan- nan’s College is running a concert entitled “A night of HOPE for the
street children in Calcutta” in the Friary, Ennis.
There will be performances by Gary Shannon, Michael and Fionnu- ala Rooney, Rachael Mullaly, Dean Power, The Ennis Gospel Choir and The Ennis Youth Choir performing. The concert will start at 8.30 pm and tickets cost €15 each. Tickets can be purchased from Veritas, Mary Kelly newsagents, the Cathedral parish of- fice and the school office in St. Flan- nans. All money raised will be do- nated to the Hope foundation and the Calcutta Youth Project.