Donegal GAA pundit, Brendan Devenney, will travel to West Africa this week in his role as ambassador with the Plan International Ireland.
The former inter-county footballer, who presents the DL Debate on Highland Radio, has been helping the charity since 2018. Plan International was one of three charities to benefit from a charity ball he organised in 2021, with Cancer Care West and Focus Ireland being the other two.
Speaking ahead of the trip Togo, Brendan, who will be accompanied by the well-known camera man, Brendan ‘Bradas’ O’Donnell from Glenties, said he’s looking forward to meeting some of the children he is sponsoring.
“The charity night held in the Mount Errigal Hotel in Letterkenny two years ago allowed us to sponsor 21 children and another five have been added to that since on the back of that event,” he commented.
“I’m going out to Togo to meet some of those kids that I sponsor myself through Plan. Bradas O’Donnell is coming with me, and we are going to document the trip and show people the work of Plan International. The trip is being kindly sponsored by Terry McEniff of the Mount Errigal Hotel, Ciaran Brogan from Sister Sara’s and Kieran Keaveney of the 5th & Mad Restaurant in New York,” Brendan added.
Pointing out that he’s been doing promotions and coming up with different ways how to sponsor a child such as washing the car, he continued: “It’s really about making small sacrifices here that can make such a big difference there. I’ve been trying to help and then decided to do a charity ball in 202 – the proceeds were shared between Focus Ireland, Cancer Care West and Plan. On the back of that, Plan mentioned the possibility of a trip a few times. One of the reasons this came up is that over time direct debits can stop. So, I thought if people could see the child that they are giving the money to, they would never stop the direct debit.
“I’d love to pull the human aspect of it all together and bridge the gap by actually meeting the children that are being helped and seeing how they are doing. I think the visuals are very important. I often think that here in Ireland, Irish people are the best in the world at helping. You can see it random situations if someone’s car breaks down, or if a neighbour needs a hand, we are always there and ready to help. By the same token, if some of those children from Africa were standing at your door, you’d give them your dinner.
“So how do you get that message across to people? The reason I fast a day and wash the car at home is that I don’t like asking people for money, and I know things are tight at the minute. It’s no different for me because the wages are gone at the end of every month. The charity ball gave the funds a massive lift while it also served as a highly entertaining night for those who came along.”
“During the week I put a post up on social media about the trip and four people contacted me directly looking for Plan’s number. The media, both locally and nationally, have been so helpful in getting the message out about what Plan does.”
According to Brendan, sponsoring a child is a hugely rewarding thing to do.
“The reason for this trip is to bridge that bit of a gap between the generosity of the people here and the great work that’s going on over there. I involve my own wee boys in it all. I have the pictures of the children I sponsor up on display in my office at home. We’re very to be living the life we have here. I know there are people in our society who are getting it hard and that there are lots of negativities out there. But we still live in a beautiful place where the vast majority of people have a great life in comparison to the wee ones Plan help. The goodwill you give always come back – that’s just the way the universe works,” he said.
“As I get older, I’ve become more philosophical. I’ve come to realise the more you get out and help, the more enriched your life becomes. Having the ability to have such a profound impact on a young life is a privilege. The more people who sponsor a child, the better. The children that are sponsored end up becoming a part of the family that’s helping them.”
