Building of Hope© All rights reserved.
Building of Hope – the beginning
Two Clare women - Olive Halpin and Maureen McCarthy - had a vision, a vision of hope and out of that hope grew the Building of Hope Project.It all began in 2006 when Olive spent three months in Missionvale, Port Elizabeth on the Eastern Cape of Africa and saw at first hand the people of the township who are living in dire poverty and who are ravished by the HIV virus.
Olive returned home but did not forget Missionvale. Something had to be done. Phone calls were made. A call went out and a small core group volunteered their expertise to see if the dream could become a reality. Plans were drawn and cost ed. The flight path was chosen. The accommodation was secured. Everything was coming together.
Then reality dawned – WHO WOULD BUILD THE HOSPICE?
Over the years Derek Davis has been instrumental in hosting charity auctions and charity balls, with all proceeds going to The Building Of Hope charity.
Derek took time out of his very busy schedule and travelled to Co Clare on a voluntary basis, where he officially launched the Building Of Hope project. He stirred great interest in the project, and spoke about the credit that was due to the men and women of Co Clare. We are privileged and grateful to have such a celebrity on board our fantastic team.
Olive Halpin lives in Clare castle, Co. Clare and has been involved in various charities over a number of years – RTE People in Need, World Special Olympic Games, and was the coordinator for the overseas aid in Romania following the revolution. To date Olive has coordinate the 2008 Building of Hope Project and is looking forward with enthusiasm to visiting Mombassa and seeing the feeding and education centre comes to fruition for Fr. Martin Keane and his parishioners.
Maureen Mc Carthy, originally from Newmarket on Fergus is married to David and lives in Tubber, Co. Clare and runs a property business in Ennis. Maureen was a volunteer with the People in Need and the Special Olympics and has been involved in the Building of Hope Project from the outset and travelled to South Africa as a volunteer in 2008 and is again planning to fundraiser and travel as a volunteer in 2010
James Lynch is an Architect by profession and lives in Claremount, Clarecastle, Co. Clare. Jim is married to Veronica and has 3 children. He was educated in St. Flannan’s College, Limerick Institute of Technology and Galway Regional College. He is involved in construction for the past 32 years and has travelled extensively and worked in the following countries – Botswana, the Middle East, Russia, Germany and France. He is totally committed to the Building of Hope Project and he is the Architect and Project Manager for the training and feeding centre which will be constructed in January, 2010.
Born to medical parents in Ennis, Co. Clare where Dr. Rory O’ Keeffe still resides. Rory graduated from U.C.D. having completed his secondary education with the Jesuits in Clongowes Boarding School. Rory returned home to set up his general practice in his home town where he also developed an interest in alternative treatments with a P/T 3 years course in Chinese medicine. During the world special Olympic games, Dr. Rory first got the opportunity of volunteering where he acted as team doctor for the Russian Delegation. In 2008 Dr. Rory volunteered his services for the 7 weeks duration of the 2008 Building of Hope Project in South Africa. This lead to a great interest in HIV/Palliative Medicine which he pursued in 2008 in Uganda and Asia. Dr. Rory has once again agreed to be the Team Doctor for the 2010 Building of Hope to Kenya.
Anne Mc Grath hails from Clarecastle, Co. Clare and works in the Finance Department of the HSE in Ennis as a Staff Officer. She first got involved with the Building of Hope Committee for their 2008 Project to Port Elizabeth and is currently busy processing the many applications for the 2010 Project to Mombassa which will build a feeding and education centre in a parish run by Fr. Martin Keane from Cranny, Co. Clare. My role involves processing all the application forms for the upcoming trip to Mombassa in Jan/Feb 2010 . I intend travelling to Mombassa with Group 4 in February, 2010 to experience at first hand the practical work of the Building of Hope Project. I know from previous volunteers is will be the experience of a lifetime.
Kenya - 2010
Fr. Martin Keane was born in Cranny, Kilrush on 8th November 1941. After doing his primary education in the local national school, he proceeded to Rockwell College in Tipperary for his secondary education .It was here he was introduced to the Holy Ghost Fathers, also known as Spiritans who ran the college. After secondary education he entered the Congregation of the Holy Ghost Fathers. During his studies between 1965- 67 he did pastoral work in Trinidad, in the West Indies. He was ordained in July 1970 in Lissy Cassey, Co. Clare.
In 1971 Fr. Martin Keane set off for Kenya being appointed to the Diocese of Mombassa on the Coast of Indian Ocean. His long association with Mombassa and the African people began here. From the beginning Fr. Martin was involved in training young people for leadership roles in the church and local community in general. He was also vocational director for the diocese and Bishop’s secretary. His involvement with young people most of whom were unemployed led him to develop projects for the youth such as a multi-purpose training centre in his first Parish changamwe, Mombassa and a full polytechnic (vocational School) in another Parish, Mikindani. The young people were trained in different skills such as carpentry, metal work, motor mechanics, dressmaking and tailoring among others. The aim was to help them with employment in local industries or self employment. After 20 years of existence the school is flourishing to this day.
Fr. Martin also worked in NAIROBI,Capital city of Kenya in the University of Nairobi Chaplaincy. From here he became Regional Superior of the Holy Ghost Fathers in Kenya, from here he was elected Provincial superior of the Irish province of the Holy Ghost Fathers from 1994 to 2000.
In 2001, Fr.Martin returned to his “home’’ Kenya and worked at St. Austins Parish in Nairobi. Here as well as developing the small Christian communities he also was involved in opening a soap making project for the unemployed young people in the slums of Waruku and Gatina in Kangemi and also a multipurpose training centre.
In January 2007 following the Archbishop of Mombassa’s request for the Holy Ghost Fathers to open a parish in the Diocese, Fr. Martin was appointed to this work ably assisted by Mr. George Irungu, a Holy Ghost Fathers (Spiritans) Associate. The Parish in Mombassa called Migombani, Is totally a new parish but there is a good population who are church goers. The overall population is more than 200,000, 60% of this would be made up of youth. It is a big challenge for the two of us. Presently as we develop a new church we have also built a nursery school that has 35 children and hope to have a vocational school ( polytechnic ) in the not to distant future. We pray that the Good Lord will bless all who are involved in this venture and that it will become a reality in the not too distant future.
