Newbridge student completes fundraising before jetting out to Kenya

Aisling Manning and her mum, at the Sarsfield table quiz fundraiser

Newbridge student completes fundraising before jetting out to Kenya

Sixteen-year-old Aisling Manning jetted out to Kenya last Thursday, February 1 to volunteer with a Kildare charity.

The Holy Family secondary school student lives in Kildare town.

Speaking prior to her departure, she told the Leader; “I’m going to Kenya with the Cara Projects on February 1 for two weeks and there is a group of 35 of us going over.”

“I wanted to do this trip because I felt it was a once in a life time experience and I know people that went last year. When I heard their stories I just knew I had to go, I really want to help there and just to see different culture and have different experiences, but all while helping.”

She said she was excited about the trip and had been concentrating on reaching her fundraising target of €2,200.

In order to raise the money, the fifth year student organised a number of fundraisers.

“I’ve done a makeup masterclass and a party, I also had a table quiz in Sarsfields on Friday January 19,” she said.

Cara Projects is an Irish registered charity and Kenyan registered NGO. It runs Cara Girls Rescue Centre near Ngong outside Nairobi. This centre provides a family environment encompassing love, welfare, trust, education, schooling and mentoring/training for 30 to 40 girls aged between 3 and 18 years. The girls are rescued from a variety of circumstances involving physical, sexual abuse, neglect and forced marriage.