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Athenry, Co.Galway, Ireland

Athenry Local News Archive

Athenry woman Rose Barrett to volunteer in Ecuadorian school for underprivileged

Athenry woman Rose Barrett, who recently completed a course in Teaching English as a Foreign Language, is off to Ecuador this summer to teach English to underprivileged children in the resort town of Bahia de Caraquaz.

Ms Barrett plans to spend the summer working as a volunteer with the Genesis School, a local project which runs a school for homeless and poor children from the town and surrounding areas.

The town of Bahia is one of the major resorts in Ecuador and relies on tourism for much of its local revenue. The town has also been declared an eco-city and residents have set up several eco-tourism and environmental projects including organic gardens and recycling projects, and is the first city in the world with a certified organic shrimp farm.

However like many South American cities, it has a large population of poor people who struggle to survive on the fringes of the local economy. Learning English is one way of helping these people out of poverty as it gives them a skill which is vital to the tourist trade.

Volunteers at the Genesis School pay to work in the school, which is funded by these donations, and they are provided with services such as Spanish classes and Internet access in return for their contribution. Volunteers are housed with local families, and must also pay for food and accommodation during their stay.

“It’s run by a local teacher who has an Internet shop in the town, and he had come across a lot of backpackers who wanted to help, so he got together with some other people in the area and set up a school that brings in children from the poor areas, and some who are living on the streets, and teaches them,” Ms Barrett said of the project. “I need about €2,000 but I would also like to be able to bring some money over with me for books, copies, and basic things for the schools in the area.”

Volunteers also teach classes in other local schools during their time in Bahia, and participants are asked to bring some supplies with them for the Genesis School. These include simple games, educational posters, pencils, pens, markers, scissors, craft supplies, paper, colouring or activity books, and simple story books in English.

Ms Barrett plans to undertake a fundraising drive between now and her departure for Bahia in April, and a number of events are planned. The fundraising will begin in earnest with a table quiz in the Northgate Bar, Athenry at 9pm on Thursday March 3. A coffee morning is also planned for the Northgate Bar on Friday March 4, and will take place between 10am and 3pm.

Other events planned include a poker classic which will take place in the Castlegate Hotel, Athenry on Friday March 11 from 9pm.

People who wish to attend the event, or donate money or school supplies to the Genesis School, can contact Rose Barrett at (087) 7465200.