IT’S a long way from the slums of Kenya to the glitz and glamour of an awards night at the City West hotel but for local man Paddy O’Connor, the journey itself has been personally rewarding.
Paddy is to receive the International Award during the annual National Rehab People of the Year ceremony on 11 September, for this work in founding Cara Projects, a charity which builds facilities for children in Africa.
“About five years ago, I went to Kenya with a charity called Refugee Trust, building an extension to an orphanage,” Paddy told the Kildare Nationalist. Trained in steelwork engineering and now self-employed, Paddy added that he realised now much could be done, especially when funds were committed directly to the projects involved.
“I learned that smaller organisations with fewer overheads could do a lot on the ground and so I set up Cara Projects three years ago.”
A native of Athgarvan but now living in Ballysax, Curragh, Paddy teamed up with Derek Hayden, who originally hails from Kildare town and now lives in Carlow. The “office” is located at Paddy’s home and the only bills involve calls on Skype to Kenya – the cheapest way to maintain contact.
To date, Cara has built two orphanages and a school, with plans for further developments.
“This summer, a total of 35 local people went out there,” he said, adding that the orphanages include girls’ and boys’ dormitories, shower and toilet facilities, dining halls and living accommodation. In each case, there are additional rooms which can be rented out to visitors or used by volunteers. The school is located in the Mombasa region and Paddy pointed out that the children benefiting from these developments are all coming from a situation of dire poverty.
“An area like the slums of Kibera is difficult to describe to someone who hasn’t experienced this sort of thing. Basically, there are a million people living in tin shacks – it is a horrible place.”
Despite this, Paddy says he has become completely hooked on the work being done. “I definitely have the bug now. I love this – not the poverty, of course, but the fact that I get ten times what I put into it, in terms of the personal satisfaction.”
This year’s group of workers included four teenagers, two from Newbridge College, one from the Patrician Secondary School and one (Paddy’s own daughter) from the Cross and Passion College.
“I decided to involve Transition Year students because they will be the volunteers of the future. People knock teenagers but actually they were a great bunch of young people.” Paddy’s wife Majella and daughters Sarah and Alex have travelled out to Kenya and it’s clear that the Cara Projects operation has become an all-consuming one for the entire family.
“We will be bringing another group of 30 or so people out next June. The orphanages are 90% finished and we need to do some work to complete them fully,” he said, adding that the next stage is to provide a technical college where young people aged 17 or 18 can begin to learn trades and skills.
“I have been talking to the Masai leadership, outside Nairobi, about acquiring four or five acres of land for this project and I am hopeful that it will go ahead,” Paddy commented, adding that he will be travelling back to Kenya in October to finalise plans for next year’s work. Participants in the summer projects are each asked to raise a total of €3,200. When the cost of flights, vaccinations etc is taken into account, three-quarters of that money goes directly to the cost of the building work.
“The aim is to keep costs as low as possible and we certainly work hard at doing that,” Paddy commented. During the year, he and Derek Hayden work to raise additional funds, to be used in feeding projects and in other ways. “We have run table quizzes, bag-packing and other fundraisers and we’re grateful for all support,” he said, adding that a child sponsorship programme is the next project being considered.
The night at City West, which generally attracts a host of celebrity guests, will be a very different occasion, compared to the basic facilities which Paddy and his co-workers are involved in providing in Africa.
“One of the people who came out with us this year, Mick McLoughlin from Sallins, was so impressed with what Cara was doing, that he decided to nominate me, which came as a bit of a surprise. Still, I’m pleased with the fact that it is drawing attention to the work we are doing because anything that highlights that work, is just great!”
The People of the Year awards ceremony at City West on Saturday evening 11 September, will be televised by RTÉ.