Aoife takes flight to Ethiopia

BY SHIRLEY MOLONEY

WHILE she has retired from playing, former Cork goalkeeper Aoife Murray is still managing a busy schedule in the name of camogie. 

Having departed from intercounty action after Cork’s All-Ireland win last year, bringing the curtain down on a glittering carrer, she continues to stay active and, on Sunday next, April 17th, Aoife will be heading to Ethiopia with ChildFund Ireland to work on their ‘Dream Bikes’ project. 

The Camogie Association announced ChildFund as their chosen charity partner last summer and the partnership will initially centre around the ‘Dream Bikes’ campaign, an initiative designed to provide bikes for girls in developing countries to get to school safely.  Aoife is delighted to be lending her support to such a charity as in doing so, she is in her own words ‘still able to give something back, as well as, remain involved in Camogie in a positive way’.

Aoife will be accompanied on the trip by Wexford goalkeeper Mags D’arcy, as well as members of the ChildFund team. In developing countries many girls are forced to travel to school in fear, as their journey is usually on foot, and can be long, exhausting and dangerous.  They may have to avoid numerous hazards and dangers on the way, including the threat posed by wild animals.  As a result of the arduous task of getting to school, many of them drop out of school entirely and this is where ‘Dream Bikes’ can assist. 

Upon arrival, the team will source bikes locally in order to sustain and support local business. They will then provide the bikes to local girls as a simple gift of a bike can empower a girl to get to school safely, and play a big role in stabilising her future learning.

Aoife imagines that her trip is ‘going to be really tough, and what we are going to see is not what we see here every day’. Through the partnership with ChildFund and visiting Ethiopia, Aoife is able to draw links between the strong sense of supporting community and empowering young girls in much the same way as the Camogie Assocation does here at home for all its members.

Any donations are welcome, to do so visit www.childfund.ie