December 2024 Since 2002, 448 people have volunteered with projects run by the Vincentian Fathers and Daughters of Charity through VLM. Sr Hiwot, Daughters of Charity Provincial in Ethiopia, wrote the following – “Each year we are blessed with the gift of wonderful groups and individual volunteers whose generous contributions...
Church Collections 2024 As part of the AMRI Mission Appeal, this year, VLM were given six parishes in the Diocese of Derry to speak about our work. We are building a Mission Team and as well as covering these parishes, we also were given the opportunity to talk in an...
November 2024 The running costs of the Alitena Youth Centre are funded annually thanks to the generosity of VLM donors. This centre benefits over 5000 youth per year through the provision of meals, school materials, tutorial support, clubs and activities, sports events, skills training and income generating activities. The funding...
VLM Christmas Raffle 2024 We are launching our Christmas raffle for 2024 this week! Prizes 1st Prize – Sandymount Hotel One Night Bed & Breakfast 2nd Prize – WestWood Club Westmanstown €200 Private Swimming Lessons Voucher 3rd Prize Barberstown Castle, Afternoon Tea for Two 4th Prize – Clayton Hotel Ballsbridge,...
Dublin Marathon 2024 We would like to express HUGE thanks to Michael McMahon and Owen McGrane who recently took part in the Dublin Marathon for VLM. Between them they raised a phenomenal €4500, which will support our work across Africa. VLM have places secured for next years Dublin marathon as...
Schools Immersion Programme 2024 – Sean Clancy “My name is Sean Clancy and I’m a 17-year-old student in St Vincent’s Castleknock College in Dublin Ireland. This year I was granted the opportunity to travel to Matisi, Kenya on a school immersion programme with the Vincentian Lay Missionaries (VLM). It was...
Schools Immersion Programme 2024 – Luke Mooney “I was privileged to be afforded the opportunity by the college and the Vincentian Lay Missionaries to go on the annual School Immersion Programme in Kenya. It was an absolutely brilliant trip and initiative. My experience was so rewarding. Prior to arriving in...
September 2024 VLM donors have been very generously sponsoring the college fees of a medical student in Masanga for the past three years. This will benefit both the individual, Romara, and his family through the provision of a sustainable livelihood and will positively impact the whole community by the better...
August 2024 Two school places are currently being sponsored by VLM donors at the St Catherine Laboure School in Masanga. This is a precious gift of an education, giving young girls the chance to go to school. Many of the girls who have fled their homes due to thewidely practiced...
Volunteer Story – Maja Hamerlinska I went to Thigio in April 2024 and stayed with the Daughters of Charity. From the first day I was very impressed by the work that the sisters did for the community. I lived on the grounds of the compound where it was peaceful, well...
New kitchen and dining room for De Paul School in Thigio April 2024 saw the completion of a new kitchen and dining room at De Paul School in Thigio, in partnership with the Vincentian Fathers in Kenya! The Castleknock College schools immersion project in 2023 took place here, and the...
February 2024 A women’s empowerment project has been running in Masanga, northern Tanzania for several years but the women were meeting and carrying out their work in a small wooden shed. Thanks to very generous donations from donors, VLM have been able to fund the building of a centre for...
Misean Cara Member Capacity Development Funding 2024 VLM with the support of Misean Cara completed capacity development training in Ethiopia and Kenya. This was for training in Project Cycle Management to be run with the Vincentians in Ethiopia with a view to them developing project proposals for funding applications. Increasing their...
Volunteer Story – Sinead McColgan Hi, I’m Sinéad. I went to Songea, Tanzania in Summer’23. I am a secondary school teacher, and I travelled with 4 other teachers. When I began teaching in 2018, the school I worked in organised a trip every year to Ambo, Ethiopia with the VLM....
November 2023 VLM donors very generously raised over €27,000 to buy a school bus for the St Catherine Laboure School in Masanga,Tanzania. Previously, local children had been walking up to 12km to get to school everyday. This journey was treacherous with the constant danger of wild animals and varying weather...
Teacher Training Places – Bruh Tesfa, Ethiopia VLM has sponsored Montessori teacher training places in Bruh Tesfa, Ethiopia. This enables girls from disadvantaged backgrounds to gain a qualification and a sustainable livelihood so that they can provide for themselves and their families. They also go on to provide education in their communities....
VLM’s volunteers for the Summer of 2023 left Dublin this week. This included 12 Castleknock College students who will be volunteering at the De Paul School run by the Vincentian Fathers in Thigio, Kenya. This is the first schools immersion project to have ventured to Kenya and we pray this...
Re-opening of Abba Gebremichael Catholic School – Mekele, Tigray VLM, supported by a €14,137 Misean Cara grant, re-opened the Abba Gebremichael Catholic School (AGCS) run by the Vincentian Fathers in Mekele, Tigray. Due to the conflict recent conflict there, the school had been closed since November 2020, but thanks to...
Camino de Santiago Fundraiser for Alemachen, Ethiopia VLM supporters from Navan, Fiona and Clodagh-Jane Healy, walked part of the Camino de Santiago in Spain over the summer and raised an amazing €950. This has been sent to the Alemachen Centre for Children with Disabilities and will be used for food...
Our partners the Daughters of Charity run a project for vulnerable children, particularly young girls who live and work on the streets of Kumasi, Ghana. They provide formal education and also run a vocational training centre to teach employable skills that will enable the girls to earn a living. This project...
Scoil naomh Brid agus Padriag Bake Sale This wonderful group of students from Scoil naomh Brid agus Padriag in Mayo ran a bake sale and raffle and raised a phenomenal €1500 for our ‘Buy the Bus’ fundraiser. Children in Masanga, Tanzania currently walk 10km and more to get to school...
November 2022 St Raphael’s Garda Credit Union have made a donation of €200 to the Female Genital Mutilation Project in Masanga. The prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the Mara region of Tanzania is very high at 32% of the female population aged 15-49 years old. nine out of...
September 2022 VLM is delighted to have partnered with Navillus, a construction company in New York, who are sponsoring the salary of a teacher at the St Catherine Laboure School run by our partners the Daughters of Charity in Tanzania. This is part of Navillus’ extensive social responsibility programme and...
Tanzania Volunteers 2022 Our first volunteers of 2022 are currently in Songea in the south of Tanzania tomorrow. Luke and Grainne will be teaching English, facilitating capacity development sessions with teachers, and running summer camp activities. Both the children and teachers are looking forward to their arrival and they are especially...
