|  | | Press Section | | | | February 2010 | | | Ballyouskill village group raises €20,000 for Vita | | | | | PRESS RELEASE
Monday 15 February 2010
Volunteers from Ballyouskill village, in Ballyraggett parish on the Kilkenny/Laois border are the biggest fundraisers in Ireland for the third world charity, Vita.
Their efforts, through which they raised more than €20,000 will help hundreds of families in Chencha, Ethiopia in Eastern Africa to fight hunger and climate change and eventually become self sufficient.
John Weakliam, chief executive of Vita presented a certificate of achievement to the leaders of the Ballyouskill Vita-Friends of Fr. Kevin Doheny fund at Vita head office, Blessington Street Dublin this week.
Leaders of the Ballyouskill group present were: Frank Brennan, chairman; Patricia Doheny, secretary, a member of the Fr. Doheny family and Kathleen Mooney, public relations officer. Patsy Cody and John Lacey are treasurers of the group.
The Ballyouskill group raised the funds in a series of events which included a sponsored walk, concerts, dances at the cross roads, a wellie race in Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny and a sale of stoves and decorations.
In November, the Ballyouskill Friends of Fr. Kevin Doheny, represented by Patricia Doheny and Kathleen Mooney visited Chencha for 18 days to witness work there. They funded the visit from their own personal resources. Bernadette McKenna, fundraising liaison, Vita head office and Tom Carroll, programme officer, Vita head office accompanied them on the visit.
John Weakliam, chief executive of Vita said:
“Vita is using an innovative community led approach to enable local families to take charge of their own development and get away from crippling dependency. Already hundreds of women have built latrines, improved cooking stoves, started weaving cooperatives and vegetable gardens that are transforming lives”.
He said the philosophy of Fr Kevin Doheny, who founded Vita and who died 10 years ago is being continued through the work of Ballyouskill and their twinning with Chencha.
He said quoting Fr. Doheny “Our task and our privilege is to build bridges to enable people to cross the gulfs that divide them”.
The late Fr. Kevin Doheny's brother the late Fr. Michael (Mike) Doheny was one of the founders of the third world charity Concern.
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Leaders of the Ballyouskill group from the Laois/Kilkenny border who raised more than €20,000 for the Vita-Friends of Fr. Kevin Doheny fund with Semret Kashai from Eritrea, with a model of a fuel efficient stove which women in Africa are building aided by Vita funds. From left to right are:
Bernadette McKenna, Fundraising Manger, Vita head office, Dublin
John Weakliam, chief executive officer, Vita head office Dublin
Semret Kashai, native of Eritrea
Patricia Doheny, secretary of the Vita-Friends of Fr. Kevin Doheny group Ballyouskill, on the Laois/Kilkenny border, and a member of the Fr. Kevin Doheny family
Frank Brennan, Chairman Vita-Friends of Fr. Kevin Doheny group Ballyouskill, on the Laois/Kilkenny border
Kathleen Mooney, public relations officer, Vita-Friends of Fr. Kevin Doheny group Ballyouskill, on the Laois/Kilkenny border
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