The African Child Fund was established in September 2007,  to alleviate the plight of children living in poverty in Africa, especially to provide financial support for their education. Its financial resources will be used by Fr. Damian Martell, St. Patrick’s Missionary Society, as he carries out his missionary work in Kenya. Fr. Damian was previously a secondary school teacher in Aberdeen, Scotland, 1992-1997, teaching Social Studies and Religious Education having achieved an M.A (Social Science) Hons in Politics from the University of Glasgow, and a PGCE (Secondary Education) in Modern Studies from St Andrew’s College, Glasgow. During his missionary training, 1997-2007, he achieved a Bphil Degree from St Joseph’s Theological Institute, Cedara, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa, in Nairobi, Kenya. During his studies in South Africa and Kenya, he also did placements of pastoral work, such as helping local people with income-generating projects and working to rehabilitate street children. He has worked in both urban and rural settings.

In his pastoral work Fr. Martell has experienced at first hand the great problem of poverty facing children in Kenya. In the urban areas of Nairobi and Kitale, he has worked on projects rehabilitating street children. Due to the inability of many poor parents to financially provide for even the most basic needs of their children, many young people move onto streets to beg. They are at high from abuse, especially girls, many get drawn into crime gangs, and drug abuse. In more rural areas, such as in West Pokot, he has worked where the staple crops have been devastated by famine and with the family income lost, parents are not able to pay the required secondary school fees. The lack of a secondary education is especially devastating for young girls, who are married off early, against their will, if they cannot proceed to school. This lack of education also denies young people the chance to go on to further education, or to achieve the skills they need to be able to move to more prosperous areas of the country. An education can give them choice and chance to a better future.

The African Child Fund will use it resources to assist families in poverty, with small income-generating schemes and also assist with the financing of education, to give young people more opportunity in life and a brighter future.

An account has been established for donations:
African Child Fund
Lloyds TSB Bank
Inverness Business and Community
Branch Sort Code 30-25-89
Account Number 0876857

Fr. Martell can also be directly contacted at dgmatell@yahoo.com

Any assistance will be gratefully received and put into great use.