CARAGH, 9 January 2002: by Trish Whelan. Sponsoring a little orphan boy in Zambia has given 23-year-old Caragh woman Sinead Burke a whole new outlook on life.

Little Leonard (3) was the catalyst that prompted Sinead to become more involved in helping people as a care worker in the Cheshire Homes unit in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.

She’s been out to visit him already in the Kaoma orphanage and is fundraising for another trip out in June.

Sinead describes Leonard as ‘a dote’. But while he now enjoys life as a normal healthy little boy, he was clearly suffering from malnutrition when he first arrived at the orphanage. A steady inflow of sponsorship money has made all the difference in the world to his young life.

Her first trip was in October last year when she went with members of other project groups in the locality involved in looking after the orphanage, the disabled and children whose parents are dying from AIDS.

“I was taken aback by so much when I went out, like my warm welcome in the truck when I had 20 kids on top of me before I could get out.”

Like small children the world over, the children in the orphanage want a cuddle or a big hug.

But what surprised her most was how happy the children were, despite having so little. “They just crave affection, big time. One trick they have learned is how to make a sweet last for four hours, continually unwrapping it, having a good lick, and then wrapping it up again.”

Kaoma is a small friendly village but the surrounding area hosts 70,000 people. However, sanitary conditions are pretty awful. Toilets are mostly just a hole in the ground.

But it was the friendliness of the people and their warm welcome that impressed Sinead most. “When they see you are white, they think you are either a nurse or a nun, so I was ‘sister’ to everyone.”

One project underway is a transit house for young children whose parents are in the Hospice. A cheque for £2,000 raised through table quizzes was handed over when Sinead was in Zambia.

Seamus Gleeson and Pauline McHugh, both from Naas, are involved in this project.

When it is time for the children to leave the orphanage they move to a nearby farm where they are taught how to run their own farm.

The group also visited children who live in compounds in the area and were amazed to see up to 20 living in houses little bigger than an average bathroom in Ireland.

Other members involved in the various projects also plan to travel to Zambia at the end of January, staying until April. Naas volunteers John Garvey and Shane Gleeson will stay in a house specially built for voluntary workers (below). This will be John’s second trip out there.

When they return they will bring back four children from the Kaoma orphanage for a six-week holiday in Ireland.

The childrens’ fares will be paid by their sponsor parents who will also look after them for their time here.

“It will be a whole new world for the children coming over here for their holiday. A whole new experience away from their own village,” Sinead says.

She and a work colleague will then accompany the children back home and plan to stay there until October, helping with cleaning, washing and looking after the babies and small children.

To help pay for her fare out in October 2001, Sinead received sponsorship from Ascon Rocon and Lever Fabriege. A raffle in Sarah Flood’s bar also helped.

However, a major tragedy occurred the day before she was due to travel when Sinead lost her much loved granny, Alice Cooke. But she went ahead with her plans because she knew that was what her nan would want her to do.

Sinead’s group, the Hilda Caminer group, fundraises for a home for disabled people. About 10 people are involved in this project and meet in The Monread Lodge, Naas, on the second Wednesday of every month.

The group made over £3,200 over one weekend busking on the streets of Naas, with Sinead on drums ably assisted by locals Dave Jordan and Paul Cully. Naturally, they’d love more people to get involved.

The next meeting of the Hilda Caminer branch will take place on 16 January at 8.30pm in The Monread Lodge. New members will be very welcome.

Sinead is appealing for more people in County Kildare to donate funds or to sponsor a child.

So how much does it cost to sponsor? According to Sinead it’s up to the sponsor, but the minimum expected is around ¤25 a month.

She says it’s a very rewarding thing to do.

As they get older the children get to know the names of their sponsor parents and are delighted with gifts or letters at Christmas or for birthdays.

Right now, though, the group are fundraising to send a container load of much-needed items to Zambia and are appealing for donations of blankets, matresses, bandages, dry foods, good quality clothing, and wheelchairs.

They’ve collected quite a lot of goods already. But they have nowhere to put the container until it can be shipped out.

If any kind benefactor will allow them the use of a warehouse or suitable building for approximately six months - it must have good access - they’d love to hear from you. Contact Sinead at 045 879817.

©2002knn

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