Cash for Clobber Kids Visit Africa
Last October, two lucky West Belfast students and their teachers traveled halfway around the globe to see the results of their charitable work. Thomas Doherty (13) and Gerard McDonald (14), from La Salle Boys’ School on the Glen Road, traveled to Kenya after winning the Cookstown Textile Recyclers and Belfast City Council-sponsored ‘Cash for Clobber’ scheme, aimed at promoting textile reuse and recycling among young people.
The pupils, members of the schools’ ‘Eco Club’, headed to the Port of Mombassa and Nairobi, to see first-hand how the clothes they collected in the ‘Cash for Clobber’ scheme directly benefited the people of the East African country. While in Africa, Thomas and Gerard were accompanied by ‘Cash for Clobber’ staff and a UTV film crew, who documented their travels. Upon their return to Northern Ireland, the boys’ video diary was made available as a pod-cast on Belfast City Council’s website, to help educate others on the importance of reuse and recycling.
Councillor Cathal Mullaghan, Chairman of Belfast City Council’s Environmental Services Committee, said:
“Pupils were asked to raid their wardrobes and donate some of their old glad rags, with the secondary school that collected the most clothing per pupil winning the trip to Africa to see first-hand how their efforts can make a real difference.
“This competition was aimed at raising awareness among young people about how important reuse and recycling is and how their efforts here in Belfast can have a huge impact in the developing world, as far away as Africa and Asia.
“We all know that we need to do more to help the environment and it’s great to see that reuse and recycling is becoming more and more a part of our everyday lives.”
