Duo walk from Malin for Mizen

By Maisie Mould

Two Watergrasshill men are walking from Malin Head to Mizen Head in aid of Le Chéile Africa.

Derry Desmond and Edward ‘Pips’ O’Connell are taking on the “challenge of a lifetime” and walking over 601km in aid of the charity.

They will travel up north to Malin Head on Friday, and begin at 5.30am this Saturday 15 June.

They hope to complete the walk in 11 days, but said that “if it takes more, so be it”.

The country-long trek will be both physically and mentally challenging for the pair.

They intend to spend 14-16 hours a day walking, travelling an average of 50km daily.

“It’s endurance of the mind,” said Derry. He added that it’s as much about “mental strength as it is physical fitness. It’s the latter that worries me. Especially as Pips is getting mighty training in.”

The motivation for the challenge is to raise funds for Le Chéile Africa’s ongoing projects in Kenya.

Derry is himself a co-founder of the organisation with his wife Mary Kigo.

Mary has worked in the non-profit sector for over 10 years, and is now based in Kenya.

Le Chéile has four focuses in their work. They seek to encourage community participation, build healthier lives by enhancing the dignity and quality of life, identify projects, resources and assist in their coordination, and enable self-sustainability for all those they help.

The slogan of the charity is Le Chéile Twasonga Mbele, a combination of the Irish and Swahili languages which translates to ‘together we move forward’.

They have a target fundraising amount of €10,000, and have already received support from members of the Watergrasshill community, including Ross’ Centra.

They are welcoming donations and support for their journey, and will need help sourcing accommodation. Donate at paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=X9S8QYGCHAZ36&source=url.