Introduction - Glasgow (July 2007)

My name is Tommy Dobbin and I’m a volunteer worker with SCIAF. I became a volunteer worker in December 2006 and to date my work has primarily involved visiting primary and secondary schools in the West of Scotland.

Andy Lewis, representing CAFOD, is a Religious Education teacher based in London. Andy has had many years of experience with CAFOD and Lourdes visits.

Together we will be supporting a CAFOD led project in conjunction with the Daughters of Charity in Mekelle, which is in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, from 25 July until 31 August 2007.

Mekelle is a fairly large town with a population of 170,000 but, unfortunately, with around 5000 children living on the streets having little or no prospect of working their way of the situation without a proper education.

Andy and I will be supporting the work of the Daughters of Charity by providing English lessons and other confidence building activities. This education programme has been established for the past two years and has been supported up until now with both CAFOD and Trocaire staff.

The weeks leading up to the start of the project have been taken up with fundraising activities, with Andy and myself involved in various aspects of both raising money and more importantly raising awareness of the Daughters of Charity in Mekelle and the work being carried out in that region.

Organising all the different injections required plus safety and security education has been a new experience, and fortunately neither Andy nor myself suffered any nasty reaction to the injections.

Relatives, friends, work colleagues and local businesses have been very generous in donating all sorts of additional resources such as pens, pencils, rulers, erasers, and books. The financial fundraising has been put to invaluable use in purchasing additional items that will be used during the visit. Most of the financial support given by supporters will be spent during our stay in Mekelle in providing material for the education of the children.

Over the coming weeks you will be able to follow our progress on the SCIAF website and particularly for people who have supported us with fundraising and spiritual support, the updates will hopefully help you relate to our experiences.

Tommy Dobbin
11th July 2007