| The trip that changed my life |
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| Monday, 24 March 2008 | |
 I knew setting off that this journey was going to be something quite different to my usual travels.I was on my way to Mali in West Africa, the third poorest country in the world, to visit a five year old boy called Madou Wane who I sponsor through the development agency Plan Ireland, an organisation that I admire and who I serve as a board member. It felt strange to be embarking on a visit to people knowing that at my age, 41, Malian women would typically have only about four years left to live instead of the 40 more years Irish statistics tell me I can expect. If I were in their place I would be likely to have had more than six children, two of whom would have died as infants. I would survive by subsistent farming, there would be only a one in five chance that I could read and a one in eight chance that I would be living with HIV. All of these issues were going through my mind during the weeks and days before my departure. I began to worry about what I had let myself in for and whether or not I had made a big mistake. I started thinking about the lives that so many millions of people endure in poverty stricken countries. I was worried about how difficult I would find the trip in terms of the living standards of the people I would meet but I am happy to say that my worries were unfounded. Far from being depressing, my trip to Mali turned out to be one of the most uplifting experiences of my life. I was delighted to see that only two people working for Plan Mali were foreigners. Plan really does espouse the philosophy of “teach a man to fish and he can feed himself for life”. They work in collaboration with local communities, helping them find the best solution for them by offering three key services -advice, education and finance, as appropriate. Low literacy levels present a significant challenge. Apart from making it difficult for future generations to improve their lot, it also means that important messages such as how to slow the spread of HIV/AIDS must be communicated by word of mouth – which in a land of 1.2million square kilometres, 12 million people and very little by way of infrastructure, is a major challenge. Visiting the Plan Ireland programmes I soon realised that nothing was straightforward when it comes to helping with community development. It is not enough to simply build a school – families must be shown the importance of education and how valuable it is to let their children attend. It is not enough just to install a water pump in a village, the community must also be helped to understand the value of keeping water clean. Meeting Madou Wane and his family was not half as nerve wracking as I thought it was going to be. We had to communicate through a translator but it soon became evident that, just like me, they had not known what to expect. Once we got over our initial shyness we got on like a house on fire and when we exchanged gifts it cemented a relationship which I know will be long lasting and beneficial to all. Madou Wane’s father had made me a beautiful wooden carving which is very, very special to me and now takes pride of place on my mantelpiece. There are obviously huge differences in our lives. Whilst they may be extraordinarily poor, the people of Mali also have a lot to give. Improvements We were cheered, sung, we had guns fired in our honour, shown with pride the improvements in the community, invited to share meals with communities and given presents of chickens, vegetables and statues. It really did my heart good to finally meet the people who up till then had been only in my imagination. I would really recommend sponsoring a child with Plan. It costs just e22 a month which to most of us these days is nothing – the price of a few drinks or a meal - but it is truly amazing the results they achieve. If you would like to sponsor a child contact Plan Ireland on 659 9601, freefone 1800829829, by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or online at www.plan.ie |
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Developed by Kevin Flynn