The Good Friday Walk 2013

"Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day" ----  March 29th ----Good Friday, the day of the Good Friday 5mile Walk in the beautiful Caltra, Castlemagerret, Crossboyne area of Claremorris. The morning was cold but fresh with a beautiful blue sky  as the people  came to register for the WALK. They were jolly and enthusiastic creating a wonderful atmosphere while they had a nice warm cuppa before setting out on the WALK and the children accompanied by their parents were so excited.  Before the commencement of the walk I greeted the people, expressed my thanks and that of the Kenyan families, for their participation and detailed how and where their hard earned money, which they so generously donated,  was spent. And with that they started on their walk at 11a.m.

People were confronted with climbing hills both at the start and finish, the start being the toughest but with the beauty of the area  and the presence of Rose and Colleen of the Claremorris Irish Red Cross the hills went un-noticed. Some people took the walk as a challenge seeing if they could better their time from a previous time others simply walking as briskly as needed in order to keep the cold at bay.  So much laughter could be heard on the way and many stories and jokes told and shared.  As usual there were water points but water was very little in demand owing to the chill of the day which was a disappointment to the children who were helping there with their parents.

The first person to arrive back at the Stables was Tom Waldron who had decided that he would run the distance and did so admirably.  Everybody talked about how much they enjoyed themselves with some people admitting that it was challenging for them but very enjoyable and for some first timers they pledged to return next year and for many years to come. One person said to me when she arrived back  "That was some 5 miles, you need to get out your measuring machine again and re-check!!!"   There was a nice welcoming atmosphere for the walkers on their return with tea, coffee, soft drinks, biscuits, fruit and sweets especially for the children.  Certificates were also available for people who wanted them and of course they were very popular with the youngsters.  It was a nice time also when people could chat with me and ask questions about the families and about life in general for the Kenyan people.  Their interest was amazing. The people were so delighted when I announced that their donations would feed and support the TWO FAMILIES for the next TWELVE MONTHS.  What an achievement and congratulations to everybody involved.  The commitment of time, energy and goodwill is immeasurable and never to be forgotten. 

 

By one o'clock the show was over and the tidy up began but the seed for next year's Good Friday Walk had just been sown.

On behalf of the Kenyan Families and myself: Go raibh mile maith agaibh, Asante Sana, Thanks you very, very much and may God bless you.  Janet

Hi there from Kitui. I'm sure that you will be delighted to read that both of the families you so generously assist through the Good Friday Walk are doing very well and we have spent your money very wisely over the past year. We have continued to support the families each week with extra food that they cannot afford to buy. In the case of the first family the head of the house, Musangi aged 20 ...has a little dressmaking business at their home and she continues to look after 2 siblings who live with her there. Your donations assisted her in getting a certificate in dressmaking and she took over being head of the family last year when her older sister got married. Another sibling Mwendwa, is attending a boarding primary school which is paid for through your donations and assistance from the local Pastor. This young boy is doing very well and his school grades are really improving as well as his social skills. He will complete primary school at the end of this year and this now brings with it another problem ---paying the school fees that are about €600 per year. He really needs to further his education so as not to enter the Child Labour Market. Another sibling, Rhoda, aged 18 recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and has got married to the father who is also a total orphan and has not yet completed primary school. We are presently counselling around the issue of continuing in school so that he can attend Vocational Training and be able to support his family. The couple and their baby are living with the husbands guardians and we are also counselling them in relation to supporting this new family and believe me it’s a challenge, I hope the outcome will be favourable. Culture in Kenya is difficult to understand at times!!!
The 2nd family are doing very well also. The young boy, Kithinzi, has recently gone to a boarding Primary school which has been sponsored by a very generous and caring Claremorris family. Kithinzi will be very well cared for and looked after as he suffers from a medical condition and his 87 year old grandmother is not able to care for him. We are continuing to supply food and a carer to cater for the daily needs of the grandmother and have organized for another person to stay with her at night as it is not safe for her to be alone. We visited her this week and she is doing well however missing her grandson. It was a difficult decision for us to take but I feel we made the right decision.
Looking at the accounts we have enough money to assist the families until the end of April and I really appeal to you once again to support the Good Friday Walk which is coming very close now. Anything you can spare will be so much appreciated and you will really assist these very vulnerable families to have some quality of family life.
I am so looking forward to meeting all of you wonderful generous people and friends on the Good Friday Walk in our beautiful area of Caltra, Crossboyne and Castlemagarret .
Till then Kwaheri/ Goodbye
Janet