A bake sale held recently by the children of Templebreedy National School in Crosshaven has raised over €600 to help families living in poverty in Sierra Leone.
The bake sale was prompted by the Church of Ireland Bishop of Cork, the Rt Rev Dr Paul Colton who in October launched a diocesan appeal to support the work of Christian Aid Ireland and its local partner, the Sierra Leone Council of Churches, as they help families rebuild their lives after being displaced from their farmland following the arrival of a huge palm oil plantation.
The appeal aims to raise €30,000 and already almost €10,000 has come in, thanks to donations and church collections in the 22 parishes of Cork diocese.
Christian Aid Ireland’s Bandon-based Church and Community Officer Andrew Coleman thanked the staff, pupils and parents of Templebreedy National School for their fundraising effort:
“It’s heartening to see the young people and their parents work so hard to fundraise for people living in extreme poverty,” he said.
It’s estimated that as many as 400 people in Pujehun District in the south of Sierra Leone abandoned their farmland because of the impact of the palm oil plantation. Funds raised by the parishioners of Cork diocese will enable more than 200 families displaced or impacted by the plantation to develop new sources of income. The cash will pay for basic farming tools (hoes, pick axes and watering cans) as well as rice and cassava stems, enabling people to grow food to feed themselves and their families, and surplus to sell for an income.
One of those now receiving help is Hawa Sannoh. Hawa has joined a savings and loan scheme which has given her cash to establish a business and to pay for essentials during family emergencies.
Hawa explains: “I left my home because the chief took my father’s farm. His land was sold without his consent. He used to have lots of land where he would grow palm oil, fruit and vegetables. He was left with nothing.”
Alongside the bake sale, which was held on 19 February, the children of Templebreedy heard from Carrigaline clergyman, Rev Tony Murphy who is leading the fundraising effort within the diocese. Rev Tony has strong links to Sierra Leone because he lived there for many years. Last year, he went on a self-funded trip to the West African country to visit the projects the appeal will support.
Between 2019 and 2021, Cork diocese raised thousands of Euro for another Christian Aid project – farming cooperatives in the East African country of Burundi. To support that fundraising effort, Rev Tony visited each of the 22 parishes in Cork diocese to receive donations, walking with parishioners for 5 kms at each location. Rev Tony hopes to visit each parish again in support of the Sierra Leone appeal.
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