Fiona and Aoife head to Kenya
In February, Chief Executive Fiona Dowling and ERD Board Member Aoife Denton traveled to Kenya for a whirlwind week of partner visits and meetings. As this was Aoife’s first time to Kenya and Fiona’s first visit in a couple of years, the itinerary was packed with visits to projects in Nairobi and Eldoret to maximise their time there. The week started with a visit to the Ruben Centre where Fiona and Aoife received a tour of the facilities and met with the management team and health centre staff. ERD has long supported the Ruben Health clinic, so it was impactful to see the strides made in maternal and child health since the project began. Fiona and Aoife then headed to Kibera to visit Edmund Rice Centre Nairobi. The centre provides educational support to children and adults living with disabilities in the community. ERD currently funds the Empower Her project at the centre, which supports caregivers through economic empowerment. Fiona and Aoife visited some of the beneficiaries at their homes in Kibera and heard about the impact the centre has had on their families. They then headed over to Edmund Rice Catholic Education Centre (ERCEC) to meet with the school and project teams before flying to Eldoret.
In Eldoret, Fiona and Aoife visited Education for Life (EFL) and Edmund Rice Eldoret Empowerment Programme (EREEP). The EFL members welcomed the visitors with open arms, singing and dancing! At EREEP, they met with the project team members, and had the privileged of participating in a meeting with an inspiring group of teen and young mums from Langas.
Fiona and Aoife met Evelyn Maris, Deputy Head of Mission and Head of Cooperation, at the Irish Embassy. Many of the ERD-funded projects in Kenya receive Irish Aid funding through Misean Cara, so it was a great opportunity to connect the Embassy with the projects they support in Kenya so they can see the impact of their funding.
While the week was busy, Fiona and Aoife returned to Ireland energised and full of awe for all the wonderful project work they saw in Kenya. We thank all of the project teams, East Africa mission coordinator Br. John Paul Oluoch, Brothers’ communities and our partners for the warm welcome, hospitality and support.
Reflection from Aoife Denton, ERD Board Director, on the Kenya trip:
Sometimes in life saying ‘Yes’ can lead to a real opportunity to grow as a person and experience something amazing. Saying ‘Yes’ to travel to Kenya to visit the ERD funded projects was one such time. It was sincerely an inspiring, eye-opening experience and one I will treasure forever. Having sat on the Board of ERD for a year now, I have learned so much about the charity’s work but this trip brought that work to life. The impact of the funding, support and training provided by ERD was tangible. From the first day to the last it was evident that the liberation of people and communities from poverty and injustice was at the heart of all the projects.
The Ruben Centre was like an oasis in the middle of Mukuru. Leaving the centre that day I remember feeling in awe of what had been achieved by those at the centre. From birth right through to death, there was support for all at the centre. It offered health support, education, sustainability training, broadcasting training etc. At the maternal child health clinic, I was moved by the impact the programme had. Simple statistics on a wall told a story of lives saved and lives altered. The gift of life protected by the generous care given.
The ERCN visit was just as moving. A dedicated group employed at the centre shone with enthusiasm and pride as they showed us through the services they offered. From entry students and their families were supported to acquire an education, develop skills and to put these skills into practice in their lives. It was such a well thought out, needs-led project that it felt like one big family working to raise up the many and not just the one.
As a Deputy Principal, I was delighted to get an opportunity to visit ERCEC. The school visit was certainly a highlight. The vocational projects are vibrant and full with students who are learning lifelong skills. The teachers have developed programmes that are now accredited and students are leaving with transferable skills that will translate to employment. Truly life changing opportunities. It was nice to see a classroom called ‘Waterford’ at the school, remembering the legacy that began with Blessed Edmund Rice, the provision of life changing education truly living on. A quick turn around trip to Eldoret to visit EFL and EREEP was the finale of our trip. EFL showed us a wonderful warm welcome with an inspiring presentation about the work of the center. The afternoon visit to EREEP was the one to reduce me to awe inspired tears; the work carried out to support the mothers and children was so moving. The work not only met the material needs of those involved, it also met their emotional needs by building up their self esteem again. Helping people feel seen, heard and loved again. A liberation!
I thank all who made my visit possible and showed us such hospitality. I feel blessed to have met so many inspiring people who work tirelessly to promote the vision of ERD and bring it to life. Creating the butterfly effect; small actions bringing about significant and far reaching consequences.
