Our aim is to secure the funding for the development of a small Mother and Child Primary Care Clinic on the grounds of the Holy Ghost school in Sultan Hamud, 150 Km south of Nairobi.

Blackrock College pupils have developed an extraordinary relationship with this school and the community that provides its pupils. Every year upwards of forty Sixth Year pupils travel to Kenya to continue the construction work on the site of the school campus as new and exciting developments expand the offering to the locals and their families. The school is now complete and is a great credit to all involved.

With such a vibrant campus catering for so many pupils, staff and the wider Machakos family comes a requirement for on-site primary care medical facilities.

The clinic is planned to care for the boys attending the school and for pupils attending a neighbouring girls’ school, amounting to 1500 children in total. It will also be available to the local neonatal mothers and children of all denominations.   

Work on the project has begun and we are delighted that we have raised €190,000 out of the €230,000 target. Our fellow classmates have been very generous and we hope to raise the balance over the next few weeks.

The project’s impact:

The Sultan Hamud township region of Machakos is classified rural and arid with 60% of the population living below the poverty line, existing mainly on subsistence farming and small-scale trade along the Mombasa motorway.

Focus and Service of the Clinic:

We anticipate that the local community will benefit from the clinic in the following ways:
1. Immunisation delivery to babies and children, thereby reducing mortality rate which is currently at 88  per 1,000.
2. Pre-Natal and Post-Natal services for mothers. Currently 53% 0f births are home deliveries, with 24% of children underweight.
3. Free HIV/AIDS tests and counselling. Infection rates 7% of 980,000 population of Machakos County.
4. Education to reduce HIV infection risks. 
5. Affordable basic dental care. 
6. Provide family planning education. 
7. Dispensing pharmacy. 
8. Clinic will act as a base for a planned mobile clinic to reach old and sick patients unable to attend the clinic.

Our commitment to this project is solely to raise funds to build the clinic. All funds raised will be exclusively used for capital funding. Our group is run entirely on a voluntary basis and 100% of the funds raised will be committed to the build.

 I have attached, for your interest:

·Architect graphics and plans for clinic.

·Letter of agreement from the Incarnate Ward sisters to manage the clinic.

To complete the project we need a further €40,000. We are hopeful of meeting this challenging target by appealing to a small group of Blackrock College past pupils and friends who share our passion and commitment to making a difference to those who need our help the most.

All donations to the project are managed through the Union Mission Fund which has charitable tax status. 

On completion of the project (and with our donors’ consent) we will recognise and acknowledge their support on a donor board, positioned in a prominent location within in the new facility.

We have had great help from Past President of the Union Brian O'Sullivan (1981) but Garry Mc Mahon's(1979) experience as a Dentist who has been to Kenya and his knowledge of the clinic requirements were incredible not to mention his dedication to building a clinic that we can all be very proud of.

Personally, I cannot emphasise enough how this is another major game changer for the community. The benefits will touch all local people daily.

Aidan Corless(1979) Chairman of the Mission Fund.

To Donate now please click this link

 Donate now to support this project

Please Contact the Union Office for more information at unionoffice@rock.ie