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John Byrne

I formally set up the organisation Friends from Ireland in April 2007 . In the past i have worked with the Hilary Hunter Kenya Fund, the ISPCC and most recently with Sue Hayward and the charity "Working for the Children of Watamu". I decided to set up this charity because of the tremendous interest shown by Irish project volunteers with whom i had worked on recent projects in Namibia and Kenya. I was the project co-ordinator for the Kenya projects and was responsible for the recruitment of volunteers, fundraising, sourcing of materials, flights, insurance and accommodation. The overwhelming help and support that I received from the volunteers and from contacts in Kenya, Namibia and Ireland , prompted me to set up this Irish Charity.My aim is to work with like-minded organisations to support community development in Africa.

The name "Friends From Ireland" is how the volunteers were referred to in Kenya, and we are proud to continue under that title. I believes that the reason we are so successful as a group is due to the fact that we make sure that every euro raised in Ireland is utilised, to itsmaximum benefit, within the community the project is undertaken. "We don't just raise money, we go over and make sure it is spent wisely. We do this with the help of Community leaders who share our aim to support community development". I hope to continue to work with our friends in Kenya and Namibia and have plans for projects in both countries in 2008.