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Open Mon - Fri: 9am to 6pm Sat: 9am to 5pm
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Sales: 028 9084 0934
Counter: 028 9084 0964
379 Antrim Road, Glengormley, BT36 5EB
Motorstore, 379 Antrim Road, Glengormley, Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland, BT36 5EB, 028 9084 0934 / 028 9084 0964, info@motorstoreni.com
In late 2007 I became involved with the NSSPT, a charity working to provide free education to children living in the vast slums in an around the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. Established in 1999 by Paul Bell (native of Northern Ireland, now resident in Jersey) who discovered the apalling conditions accidentally while holidaying in the country, the charity raises funds throughtout the year by various means and takes a group of volunteers annually to visit the schools, meet the children and supervise or perform any necessary work or repairs.
Unfortunately my first planned trip to Kenya in February 2008 had to be cancelled due to a long period of civil unrest sparked off by a dispute over the results of Government elections held in Novermber 2007, but in February 2009 I travelled with a group of 14 other (self funded) volunteers - 6 from Northern Ireland, 8 from Jersey - to catch up on 2 years of maintenance and repairs. Partly as a result of the local unrest in 2007/2008 we had to take the difficult decision during 2009 to abandon our first school, located in the Mathare Slum and concentrate our efforts on the 'Red Roof Academy', in the Kwa Njenga slum. This school was built and is maintained entirely with funds donated in Jersey and Northern Ireland. While there we were successful in (among other things) replacing the Roof, purchasing and fitting a diesel Generator to provide power, re-laying of soil to provide a level playing area in the grounds for the students, installing new tanks and re routing the gutter system for rain water collection.
The Red Roof Academy can be viewed on Google Earth at 1°18’60s South, 36°52’53s East.
A big thank you to everyone who has donated through the collection box in the shop during 2009.
Aidan Bannon, December 2009
