We support people in need in Kitui, Kenya. 

We work to provide the marginalised with clean water and access to education, and to empower them by boosting their economic independence. 

Who  Are We?

Friends of Kitui is a voluntary group which evolved from the Dalkey Parish Outreach project, set up in 1999. The group started with a monthly fund-raising coffee morning, for relief of poverty mainly through providing education for orphans and vulnerable children, and small income-generation activities. Friends of Kitui was formally established in 2005 as an umbrella structure linking the activities of the various voluntary groups who are contributing to support the needs of the people of Kitui. In addition to Dalkey, it now embraces donors from other Dublin parishes, notably Cabinteely and Rathgar, as well as corporate donors and others in the United States and Britain. We are always looking for other parishes or community groups to join us in this work.

An important feature of the Friends of Kitui approach is that all money donated goes to projects in Kitui. Our funds are mainly, but not exclusively,  channelled through the Catholic Diocese of Kitui, because as a Partner of world agencies such as the World Food Programme, the Church in Kitui has the structure to support, implement and monitor projects. We insist that beneficiaries of our projects should include persons of all faiths, and none, in Kitui: however we recognise that the majority will be Catholic. 

Projects in Kitui are monitored by Friends of Kitui volunteers visiting these projects on a very regular basis- at least four or five visits per year. Costs associated with the organisation’s own activities, including travel costs to and from Kenya, are borne personally by the promoters here in Ireland.

How our Projects Evolved

Late 2005, following an appeal in Cabinteely Parish for support for the Diocese of Kitui, Aidan Corless decided to take on board two major projects- the first for the education of children orphaned due to AIDS, and the second to raise funds for the construction of a new Secondary School for the Diocese of Kitui.

Around the same time, Pat Torpey took responsibility for promoting Water Projects and the project for the Empowerment of Women through micro-buainess projects.

Terry Dunne and Clare Byrne who launched Dalkey Parish Outreach discovered that even small amounts of money  are able to do an amazing amount of good.

What We Do

We raise funds to support community projects for the provision of water and education services in the district of Kitui, in the Eastern Province of  Kenya.  

We also support projects to encourage self sustainability and particularly those for the empowerment of women. 

We are committed to ensure that 100% of the donations received go directly to the supported projects.

What We Believe

We believe in sustainable development. This means that our projects are geared towards enabling or empowering our partners  either to free up their time for more productive activties, or to get under way with income-generating projects which they will continue to develop and expand under their own initiative. 

We believe that:

• Everyone has a right to water, the basic requirement for life

• Everyone has a right to education

• Everyone has a right to adequate food

• Everyone has a right to advancement

• These rights exist irrespective of Race or Religion

Contact Details

E-Mail Addresses: 

Due to the amount of spam mail we have received, we have had to show our e-mail addresses as graphics so that they cannot be read by spam mail programmes. To contact us, please type the address shown into your e-mail programme. Our apologies for this inconvenience.

Donations:

All donations for Friends of Kitui projects are handled by Trocaire, the development arm of the Catholic Church in Ireland. If you are a PAYE payer, your donation will increase in value by the amount of the tax you have paid. For non-PAYE donors, your donation will qualify as an allowable expense. A receipt will be issued by Trocaire for each donation. Cheques should be made payable to "Trocaire-Friends of Kitui"

Webmaster & Editor: 

Pat Torpey

26 Hyde Park, 

Dalkey, 

Co. Dublin, 

Ireland

Telephone: +353-1-285-0988

e-mail:

St Michael's School Building Project and Orphans Education Support:

Aidan Corless

"Kinvara"

Westminster Road,

Dublin 18

Ireland

Telephone: +353-1-289-2393

e-mail: 

Bank Account Details:

Account Name: Trocaire-Friends of Kitui Account

Bank: AIB Bank, Dame Street, Dublin 2, Ireland

Sort code 93-20-86
Account No. 21118071

Account Name: Trocaire NI

Bank: First Trust Bank, High Street, Belfast, BT1 2AL

Sort Code: 938092

Account Number: 88227020