The 2019 International Rose of Tralee Sinead Flanagan is taking to her role as Rose of Tralee with all the compassion and humanity one expects from the winner of the title.
In November, like her Rose predecessors, Sinead took her first overseas trip to Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) to visit HOPE’s projects with street and slum children. There she witnessed the shocking conditions endured by Kolkata’s most vulnerable children, those who live in the slums, dumps and streets of India’s second most populous city.Speaking about the most difficult experience of her trip to Kolkata, Sinead says that accompanying the night ambulance was upsetting and it struck her that all that is different between us is where we were born and appealed to people to remember the forgotten street children of Kolkata this Christmas.
“During my week in Kolkata I have seen how HOPE are giving vulnerable children an opportunity, through education and protection, to lift themselves out of the poverty that they were born into. It is a great privilege to get to witness this incredible work first-hand and to meet the other volunteers from Specsavers and The Law Society of Ireland”.
HOPE Honorary Director, Maureen Forrest, thanked The International Rose of Tralee Festival for their ongoing support and stated:“We are delighted and grateful to have such wonderful people here in Kolkata supporting our work around the 20th Annual Foundation Day. I am humbled by the support we have received from the Irish public in the past 20 years. These are the forgotten children, born into a world of dire poverty. As people like Sinead give just a little of their time, skills, knowledge, wisdom, compassion, wealth and love, the world becomes a better place.”
Over the coming weeks HOPE will be encouraging people to buy a Gift of HOPE, download or purchase their new album called ‘Friends of HOPE’ or donate to help continue the work in Kolkata for Christmas, please see www.giftsofhope.ie. For as little as a €5 donation a week you can sponsor a child’s education and make a huge difference.For more information see
www.giftsofhope.ie and follow us on Instagram Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HopeFoundationIreland and Twitter @HopeFoundation
Photo Credit Sam Irons
