Galway Chamber CEO Kenny Deery is set to walk 2,000 km over the next six months to help raise funds for people impacted by severe drought and hunger in Kenya.
Kenny will be taking part in a range of half-marathons, as well as walking the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain for a period in May.
The money raised will go to support Self Help Africa’s work with the Baringo Project in Kenya which supports 60,000 farming families and their children to grow food in hot and dry conditions.
Baringo is an area that is very prone to drought where food insecurity remains a huge challenge, especially among women and children.
This is further exacerbated by climate change and extreme weather conditions which generate severe droughts.
This year Self Help Africa will be targeting water sources to help local communities and the charity has begun setting up irrigation kits in places like schools to ensure the resource is used effectively.
Quality seeds and planting materials will also be provided along with nutritious schools meals, the construction of school kitchens and the supply of soap and other sanitary supplies.
“I have some friends who are involved with Self Help Africa and when they started to describe the situation in Baringo I was deeply moved,” said Kenny Deery.
“They have been through so much in recent years including drought, flooding, locust infestations, instability and were also significantly impacted by the pandemic.
“Women and children have been particularly affected and that has had severe implications on the levels of malnutrition and hunger experienced by these people.”
Kenny said that he wanted to see what small part he could do to help, so he decided to try to raise some funds for the project.
“I’ve committed to undertaking 2,000 km over the next six months,” he explained.
“Hopefully this activity will raise some much needed funds for the people of Baringo and it will assist more families, schools and communities to get access to the food and support they will need to better insulate themselves against future droughts or other extreme weather conditions.”
Anyone who wants to support Kenny’s fundraising activities can do so by going to https://www.idonate.ie/KennyDeerySelfHelpAfrica
