Dedicated volunteers with a charity initiated in Killarney close on 20 years ago are actively re-engaging with their vital humanitarian work following the hardships and travel restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The Kenya Education Project, established by retired Killarney schoolteacher and Fossa resident Eddie Sheehy, in 2003, is again providing crucial, life-enhancing support to the people of the slum village of Embulbul, 25kms south of Nairobi, and the students of the Edmund Rice Catholic Education Centre.

Life is still very difficult for the people of Embulbul however, and that highlights the importance of the Kenya Education Project’s feeding programme with children receiving food packages to enable them to have one nourishing meal a day when, otherwise, they would have to go without.

The programme is run by the parish and it helps to provide food for the children of the village from Monday to Friday with up to 80 school pupils receiving meat, vegetables and rice.

“The facility where the meals are prepared and cooked has been fitted with an upgraded kitchen with modern wood-burning stoves and two people have been employed to prepare the meals each day and maintain and clean the kitchen. Their pay amounts to €200 per month,” Eddie explained.

“Other significant ongoing overheads include the outlay on vegetables, rice, meat, maize flour and firewood and that requires a spend of €600 per month. This has resulted in our overall monthly costs rising from €650 to €800 per month,” he added.

Additionally, the Kenya Education Project continues to support the school fees that need to be paid for students attending the local school as well as providing washing points and water stations and organising extra-curricular activities, including sports, for the children to enjoy.

To help meet the escalating costs involved, the registered charity always welcomes financial support from the public which can make such a difference to the children and make their lives a little more tolerable and any donations from the people of Kerry are always particularly welcome.

Anybody seeking more information on the work of the Kenya Education Project or those willing to get involved or contribute can contact founder Eddie Sheehy on 085 7497271.