Today is D-Day for Tuam trip to Haiti

By TOM GILMORE THREE Tuam men, who have volunteered to travel to Haiti on a house building mercy mission, are on tenterhooks today (Wednesday) as they wait for word on the cholera outbreak there, which will decide if their trip on Saturday goes ahead. The three, Brendan Monaghan, Demesne, Stephen Brady, Dublin Road and former Galway senior footballer, Francis McWalter, a native of Abbeyknockmoy, have been fundraising for the trip for months and all monies raised go towards the building of homes for the needy in Haiti. 'We are going out with the Haven Partnership and while they provide us with a tent for the week that we are there, we have to bring everything else, even the pillow, sheets or sleeping bag,' says Brendan Monaghan. He added that this was one of the reasons why he decided to go with this charity on humanitarian work. 'There are no luxuries and all the money goes towards the building of homes for those in need. 'There are approximately 250 people due to fly out from Dublin to Port-au-Prince on Saturday and the plan is to build at least 40 houses during the week that we are there,' says Brendan. The three Tuam men have to rise €4,500 each and they have all been involved in different fundraising projects, since earlier this year, in anticipation of the trip. But while only a handful of new cholera cases were reported so far this week the three men will not know until today, Wednesday, if their trip at the weekend will go ahead. Another group who were due to travel last Saturday, had their trip cancelled as the cholera outbreak gripped parts of Haiti. In Port-au-Prince hospitals stayed open around the clock to treat new patients who had contracted the disease. The charity, Haven Partnership, are not taking any chances with their volunteers and they will not decide until today if it is safe for the Irish volunteers to travel. Brendan Monaghan says that he was influenced to travel with the Haven Partnership after watching a programme on TV, with George Hook, on the work that their volunteers do in Haiti. As both Brendan and Stephen are involved in athletics in Tuam, they have got great support from the those involved in the club in Tuam and those in other clubs in the area. Brendan, who works as a Community Welfare Officer with the HSE, also says that one of his biggest fundraisers was when he refurbished his old motorcycle and raffled it, getting over €1,200 at the Mountbellew Vintage Show earlier this year. The three Tuam men have all been busy fundraising for many months and they hope now, that the decision today (Wednesday), will give them the all clear to fly out on their voluntary, house-building mission on Saturday.