Giving back to the community

Eithne Boland

Serving and giving back to the community are key foundation stones of the Dingle Further Education and Training (FET) Centre provision. Many projects are undertaken annually to benefit the community.

On Wednesday, 21st December, our Stained Glass Project group came together at the West Kerry Community Hospital. They unveiled a specially designed and crafted installation to honour those who lost their lives during the Covid-19 pandemic. While also paying tribute to the unrelenting hard work of the hospital staff who bravely cared for them during this time.

Every year volunteers travel from Dingle to Kenya, including Transition Year students from Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne. They spend two weeks at Cara Girls Rescue Centre (CGRC) in Kenya, which caters for up to 40 girls who have been victims of neglect, abuse, incest or early marriage.

Over the past few years, the group have completed several stained glass courses run by the Dingle FET Centre. They hope their work will remind residents that the community is always with them in spirit. As well as a constant reminder to hospital staff of how thankful the community are, not alone for the challenging work they did during the pandemic, but for all they do for the community daily.

This year our Sewing Project group started working with volunteers and designed and produced sustainable and ethical sanitary products for GCRC. In addition to the items made for delivery to Kenya, patterns, templates and prototypes were developed. Volunteers travelling from Dingle to Kenya were provided with initial resources and trained to make the various products - skills they will transfer to residents in the centre on their next visit.

It is hoped that this venture could develop into a small cottage industry for CGRC, and the Dingle FET Centre will continue to provide support where needed.