Local business donations help world’s poorest regions

A number of Tyrone business owners are helping to transform the lives of children with special needs in one of the world’s poorest regions.

Money donated by the businesses to University of Ulster academic Edel O’Neill, who visited Thailand with 16 other women on a home-building expedition, helped buy a vehicle to transport the children to and from Lampang Special School.

Mrs O’Neill, Director of the UU’s Business Institute, said: “Each of the 17 women on the Habitat for Humanity expedition to Thailand had to raise a certain amount of money. In total we gathered together £30,000 with the primary aim of building two new homes for local families.

“With the extra money we had raised – in no small part due to the generosity of companies in my home county of Tyrone and the University which supported my trip – we were able to give the School £5,000 which has been used to purchase a vehicle. This will make an enormous difference to the lives of the children and to the teachers who do a wonderful job in very trying circumstances.”

Since 1999 1,200 volunteers from Northern Ireland have formed 87 teams building 432 homes in 22 countries and raised more than £1.5m for their work.

Habitat for Humanity is a non-denominational Christian housing organisation which has been in existence since 1976. During the intervening years it has provided more than 175,000 homes for around 900,000 people in 100 countries worldwide.

(MB/SP)