Keelin finds common ground and bonds with African teens

Regan Kelly

Despite 11,400 kilometres in the distance between here and Tanzania, bonds can be forged through showing empathy and understanding, and that is the case for Westmeath woman, Keelin Burke.

Keelin was one of the 35 people that travelled with Tanzanian Heavenly Homes, and like everyone else, found it to be a memorable experience.

Like the other volunteers, Keelin found witnessing the extreme poverty in the area to be an eye opening experience.

Interestingly, though, along with all of her work in Senior Hope, Keelin and some of the group spent time in a local orphanage, where she formed a bond with some girls similar to her age.

Speaking on that, Keelin said: “When we went to the orphanage, we got talking to some of the girls there, I’m 17, so a lot of them were around my age.

“We ended up getting to know these girls, we got to relate to them and spend some time with them.

“We often brought them down presents and just chatted with them, because we found that we could relate to them more than others could.”

Keelin concluded by describing the joy the group took in being able to help some of the elderly people.

“Bringing supplies and helping people that is going to potentially keep them alive for six or seven months, and spending time with children who never get to experience just being held in someone’s arms before, its just hard to put it into words.”

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