A TOWN in South Africa will have its first purpose-built school thanks to the efforts of volunteers, including Skibbereen’s Aidan O’Dwyer.
Aidan, a 20-year-old music and theology student at Maynooth University and St Patrick’s Pontifical University, is raising money to build and equip a new school at Aliwal North.
So far, he has raised over €2,000 but he is hoping that people will log on to his ‘Fundraiser by Aidan O’Dwyer: Mission Ignite South Africa’ GoFundMe page to make a donation, no matter how small.
Aidan explained that the volunteering overseas organisation, Mission Ignite, visited St Patrick’s last year and 21 students signed up to travel to the rural town, located 1,000km north of Cape Town, on July 26th.
‘This will be my first time taking part in any kind of charitable project abroad, so I will be approaching it with humility and a deep sense of responsibility,’ said Aidan.
Aidan has a €5,000 fundraising target, but he is also busy collecting school supplies and toys for younger children, which means his luggage allowance is filling fast.
The plan is to build a five-room schoolhouse with three rooms dedicated to teaching, as well as toilet facilities and an office, from August 2nd to September 2nd.
The money raised will be used to buy the building materials, such as concrete blocks, tools and roofing, but Aidan said they will also be hoping to support the wider needs of the community.
Aidan is also looking forward to providing some teaching support during his visit, as well as learning about the local culture under the guidance and protection of the Holy Cross Sisters.
