A NEW QUAY native who staged the first ever GAA Cúl Camp in Africa in April has been forced to cancel a scheduled 10-person strong humanitarian mission to Uganda next month due to the current Ebola outbreak.
Next month, John Conroy was due to lead the 10-strong group of volunteers to Uganda.
During their time there, the group was due to volunteer at Hospice Jinja, a facility established to assist with palliative care; coach gaelic football at Nile Óg Cusack’s GAA club and also assist children with special needs and mainstream children in a primary school with an enrolment of 1200 children.
Only in April, Mr Conroy hosted the first ever Cúl Camp this week in Africa with children from Walukuba West Primary School in Jinja, eastern Uganda, taking part.
The GAA Cúl Camp attracted 125 students from the school which is situated just a few kilometres from the source of the iconic River Nile where eight local Gaelic Football coaches and headmaster led the sessions.
However, Conroy confirmed this week, “It is with great disappointment that we have had to make the difficult decision not to travel to Uganda this summer due to the current Ebola outbreak”.
Mr Conroy said, “Our hearts are with the people and communities we had hoped to visit, and we are deeply saddened that circumstances beyond our control have prevented this journey from going ahead. While we were looking forward to sharing our time, skills, and friendship with our partners in Uganda, the health and safety of everyone involved must remain our top priority”.
Mr Conroy said that all fundraising money continues to go towards three different projects in education, health and sports development.
The projects are the construction of 10 teachers homes, toilets, wash area and a secure wall; support the day to day running of Hospice Jinja and support Nile Og Cusacks GAA Club.
Mr Conroy said, “We are very grateful for the support, encouragement, and generosity shown by so many people throughout this year and previous years. Although this chapter has been postponed, our commitment to the communities we support remains as strong as ever and we hope to return when it is safe to do so”.
Mr Conroy, who is a PE teacher, founded the Nile Óg Cusacks GAA Club in Jinga in July 2024 after introducing GAA to a class of deaf children at Walukuba West School.
The construction of the 10 teachers houses began early April and all construction costs are paid by Irish donors with all works being done by local labour employing local trades people.
The accommodation homes are built on the grounds of Walukuba West Primary School with an enrolment of 1,200 students.
Mr Conroy said, “last Summer on the grounds of the school we constructed a dormitory for 80 girls. The school is also where Nile Og Cusacks are based and where we train and play our GAA games”.
He said, “The reason for building the homes is to provide a safe environment for the teachers. In Africa teachers are often poorly paid, struggle to pay for transport costs and in some cases require a second job”.
