Schull Community College

Fern Doonan and Michelle Barnett went to Calcutta with the HOPE foundation of Cork in March 2007. In order to make the trip, they had to raise €3,500. They fundraised throughout December, January and February. They went bag packing in Cork, held a no uniform day, sponsored swim, charades night,selling HOPE chocolate all over the school and received very generous donations from businesses and family alike.
In total they raised €11,000.
This is their account:

"It was an amazing week. We got the opportunity to see where all the money raised by the HOPE foundation actually goes. Trust me, it goes an extremely long way. We visited projects funded and run by the foundation which included
1.Short stay home for boys and girls
2.Schools in the slums
3.Orphanages and Creches
4.Drug rehabilitation for young men
5.Home for children affected by AIDS/HIV
6.Propiarty schools.
The work that the HOPE foundation does with the street children is amazing. They give these people who have nothing and no chance in life, an opportunity to change their lives. We met so many children and adults alike, whose lives had been completely transformed by the work of this very worthwhile charity.
Not everything we witnessed was that nice! We saw what life is like for those not as fortunate to have been helped. India has a population of over 1 billion. One charity cannot fix everything. Life on the streets is harsh and dangerous. These people live with starvation, rape, poverty and disease every day. Yet everywhere we went, we were greeted with smiling faces!
This experience has opened my eyes and i will never forget it. I know now how lucky we really are here. Every little thing we do to help people less fortunate, makes a huge difference to them and we hope you keep supporting these charities!