Thank you very much for visiting my justgiving page! Below is some information about the very special charity that I am raising money for and why:

I have always wanted to follow my father Dr. Daniel McCloskey’s example and get involved with charity work in Africa. The accounts of his work in rural Sudan and Nigeria have inspired me to try and make a difference by helping those less fortunate. After attending a talk about Global Child Health, I found out about the Kenyan Orphan Project, which really does make a huge difference to the lives of so many children who are living in very desperate conditions.

 

KOP (Kenyan Orphan Project) was set up by Nottingham graduates in 2001 to improve the lives of some of the world’s most impoverished orphans and vulnerable children by providing them with food, education and health care. In the last 12 years, KOP has made a massive difference to the lives of the area’s most vulnerable children by building a hospital, a health clinic, three schools, two community-feeding centres and a support shelter for the many Kisumu street children. Every day the charity helps over 3,400 children.

 

KOP is unique because students from the UK help to fund projects at a grass-roots level for Kenyan communities, who are then able to take the projects forward themselves. One of the key objectives of KOP is to make long-term, sustainable change. The statistics about the area are staggering, for example, one in three children are orphaned as a result of AIDs in Western Kenya, and as such KOP’s work really is vital for saving so many children’s lives.

This year, some friends and I at Warwick University have taken up the challenge to raise as much money as possible for this charity. Last year alone, students raised £117,000 for KOP and this year we will hopefully better that amount! Next August we will travel to Kenya to help with various new projects, building a water borehole, teaching some classes, assisting at one of the feeding and health centres and most importantly, we will spend time engaging with the children. I am sure it will not only be a very humbling and life-changing experience, but it will also allow us to see for ourselves just how the money we raise can make a difference.

 

I would like to point out that 100% of the money I raise will go directly to the children in Kenya – I am funding the trip to Kenya myself and the charity do not use any sponsorship for any of their administration costs, so every single penny I raise will go directly to helping the children.

 

I have a personal fundraising target of £800, and any money that you are able to donate really will make a huge difference. For example, £25 will feed a vulnerable, orphaned child for a month as well as providing counselling and support to try to secure them a future. Every penny really does count and KOP make their money go a long way, so donations of any amount would be very gratefully received.

If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact me. My email address is joemccloskey1990@hotmail.co.uk and my mobile number is 07986641730.

 

I have created a Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/JoeMccloskeyKOP so please do ‘like’ the page and I can keep you updated throughout my project and time in Africa.

 

Thanks for your time and I look forward to sharing my photos of Kenya and experiences with you all when I return! 

Joe McCloskey