Bringing HOPE to Calcutta children

FOLLOWING an emotive trip to Calcutta in February, a group of pupils from St Flannan’s College in Ennis are continuing to raise money for the Hope Foundation.

Fourth-year pupils, Eileen O’Reilly, Jamie Tuohy, Jack Neylon, Ciara Meere, Shane Galvin, Katie Cusack and Sarah O’Callaghan went with a group of over 50 pupils from all over Ireland, to experience first hand the poverty and appalling conditions families and particularly children endure in Calcutta.
“We spent days, much of the time with children, playing with them and engaging with the community, mostly young people. The aim of the Hope Foundation project we are fundraising for is working with the street children of Calcutta,” Eileen explained.
Jamie added, “Calcutta was a totally different environment. It was a real eye opener. People there have absolutely nothing.
“We went to a boy’s home and conditions were very basic but it was clear that the children were very honest. One of the lads with us dropped his wallet and one of the children returned it straight away. They’re very kind.”
The pupils said that they saw a number of shocking things but for them, the worst was the children in the drugs’ rehabilitation home.
“Children as young as three were being weaned off drugs. A lot of them were victims of solvent abuse, especially glue. We also saw children on the streets selling bottle tops to get money to buy tubs of glue, for the equivalent of a couple of cents.
“People here would be giving out about different things, like the recession but we’ve no idea how bad it is,” Eileen commented.
They were also very disturbed at the amount of children effectively abandoned or living in girls’ and boys’ homes, “left on their own to adapt and fend for themselves”.
“We found it very sad. Conditions are deplorable,” Jamie said.
Eileen added that for her and the other pupils, the experience was quite overwhelming and both she and Jamie said they now intend to go back to Calcutta when they finish third-level education.
“I will go over with a skill and help these people,” she remarked.
The pupils are now more motivated than ever to fundraise for the cause.
“Because we witnessed the conditions first hand, we are delighted now to be able to help,” Jamie commented.
Every year, pupils at St Flannan’s College fundraise for the Hope Foundation Calcutta project. They sponsor the St Flannan’s Cricket Club in Calcutta.
“Through the club they can learn to play cricket and can go on to make a career out of cricket, as they can become semi-professional or coaches.
“They don’t just play sport for the fun of it but with a professional view. Generally, the school raises €10,000 annually to maintain the cricket club,” he explained.
Already this year, the pupils have been selling Butlers Chocolates in conjunction with the Hope Foundation around Clare and they also held a flag day in Ennis, which raised over €2,000.
They are also running a fundraiser at a fashion show in Glór on June 26.