THE PEOPLE of Inishowen
may witness the unusual sight of a nun on a tractor
this weekend when a vintage tractor drive in aid of
a small local charity, PODRO (People of Donegal
Reaching Out) takes place this Saturday, August 22.
PODRO assists the missionary work of the Sisters of
Mercy, which includes the building of small schools
in some of the world’s poorest regions.
The proceeds of Saturday’s tractor drive will be
sent directly to Sister Imelda McGurk an Irish nun
who is developing a school in a village called
Kiptere just outside Nairobi in Kenya.
This school, St. Clare’s, is already catering for
many of the children of Nairobi’s slums but the
accommodation is extremely basic and there is much
work yet to be done. These children are incredibly
hungry for education, aware that it is their only
chance to escape the dire poverty in which they
live.
Sister Imelda has already changed forever the lives
of many hundreds of children, but only with the
assistance of funds raised by PODRO over the last
number of years. Her work to date has been
outstanding and she has the ability to work miracles
with very small sums of money, so much so that
Sister Ann, one of her Mercy Sister colleagues,
reckons she could turn Ireland’s finances around in
a fortnight with no help from McCarthy!
PODRO is run by a very small number of dedicated
unpaid volunteers and has no running costs, which
means that every cent raised ends up where it is
most needed, with the world’s poorest people.
Saturday’s drive begins in Bridgend at 10 a.m.,
where you can see, possibly for the first time ever
in Inishowen, a nun on a tractor! The tractors will
then travel on to Muff, Moville, Culdaff, Malin,
Carndonagh, Clonmany, Buncrana and finally Burnfoot.
Collectors will be shaking their buckets in each of
these locations, giving local people an opportunity
to be part of the inspired work of Sister Imelda.
Anyone interested in taking part in the event,
making a donation, or making a contribution in any
way to the work of this charity is asked to call
Feargal Friel on 0877516367.
(Inishowen Independent) |
