Carrickfergus College Provide Afghanistan Assistance
May 2010
All pupils from Carrickfergus College gave a superb response to an appeal for assistance in Afghanistan. This effort came in two forms with both Armed Forces Personnel and Afghan children being the intended recipients of items donated by pupils in different year groups. Years 8 - 10 were responsible for donating items that be useful and are frequently requested by Afghan children between the ages of 5 - 12 years of age. The items collected ranged from soft toys for younger children, puzzles and small games for older primary aged pupils and items of stationery and colouring equipment, all packed into 2kg shoe box packages.
Senior school and sixth year contributed items for our Servicemen and women, the highly sought after comfort items that make a busy, austere and dangerous environment that bit easier to endure. These packages contained, for the most part, selections of snack foods, plenty of gum and jelly sweets with some books and magazines. Andrew McGahon from 8J, year 8 donated lots of sweets for Afghan children commented 'It is good to give items to people who have less than you. It makes feel happier all-round.' Rachel Ball from 11J contributed toiletries and snack foods. She said, 'It is important to give to this appeal because the soldiers need all the help they can get as they are constantly working and hardly get a break from their job until they get home to proper conditions.' She continues, 'I really think that the soldiers would be very grateful for any items such as hygiene products to get them through the prolonged period of time they are away from home.'
The charity appeal was initiated by members of staff in support the ongoing efforts to bring stability to the country. 'When we look past the conflict we see everyday people from different cultures and origins striving to endure harsh conditions and difficult circumstances. It is important to look identify what can be done to make someone's day a little brighter and a little easier. It is easy to contribute an opinion of why the war is taking place and the wrongs of what is happening there, but until these changes are made we still have to support those attempting to improve the stability of Afghanistan and make a gesture to the Afghans themselves, to assist however possible.'
The total number of packages being dispatched was in excess of fifty, with an almost half and half split between the packages marked suitable for troops and those meant for Afghan children. Mr Gannon, a member of staff involved in the appeal stated 'The packages will be delivered to a friend I have serving in the Royal Artillery. My buddy arrived in Afghanistan last week, so I have asked that these packages find their way to troops operating from the Forward Operating Bases in Helmand Province. This will ensure they are given to the servicemen and women most in need and can be readily distributed to Afghan villages during vehicle and foot patrols.'
The final packing, weighing, sealing and labelling of the boxes was conducted by the sixth year charity committee with year 10 boys lending a hand to load the parcels for posting. All gave up hours of their own time to take responsibility for ensuring a great job was done to have the parcels ready for delivery to the post office in a timely fashion. There are almost 8,500 serving British personnel serving in Afghanistan during operational tours of up to six months. If you feel similarly, the following address can be used to send a package to a member of our Armed Forces in Afghanistan via the website:- www.supportoursoldiers.co.uk/carepackages.html.
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