The SCOOP Foundation (Save Children Out Of Poverty) is a new and exciting Irish charity that seeks to raise funds for schools and orphanages in the world’s poorest regions by hosting fun and innovative events and by encouraging people to become more involved in their own charities all around the world.

“We believe that people in Ireland have become disillusioned with the idea of charitable giving right now, due to the onslaught of ‘chuggers’ on the street and at your doorstep, the use of manipulative and expensive advertising, the waste of funds on over-paid directors and staff, even corruption,” says Chairman Andrew Sweeney. “We don’t just want to encourage donations; we want the thoughts and the energy of our donators too.”

The SCOOP’s board of Directors are a hands-on, driven and passionate team who come from a host of different artistic backgrounds or are already working in the voluntary sector or as social workers.

The team has already hosted hugely successful events in the form of concerts, table quizzes, poker tournaments and DJ/ club nights. They also ran a hugely successful Art Auction and have begun a ‘Lost Property Reunion’ where they sell clothes left behind in some of Dublin’s trendiest pubs and clubs for next to nothing.

With the funds raised they have helped extend an orphanage in Cambodia by building an extra bedroom and a classroom that can now teach English to over 45 children. They continue to support this orphanage as it receives no funding at home.

In July, they are sending one of their directors on a research trip to Uganda and Somalia to find their second project. Depending on funds raised, they hope to be able to help a school for street kids in India, an orphanage in Peru and a school in Jamaica, as Andrew explains:

“As travelling has become much simpler today, we have all travelled to Asia, Africa or South America, and have volunteered at some of these schools and orphanages that exist under the harshest conditions, most even without government funding. We believe that if we can fund these schools, in due process we can promote the idea of a community.”

“The SCOOP’s vision for the future is to be able to build our own schools, and house them with Irish teachers and volunteers offering specialist courses like mechanics, photography, even journalism.”

The SCOOP Foundation is also working hard on projects here at home. They plan to run a DJ workshop in a residential home for teenagers, encouraging them with their passions for dance music. They also want to encourage primary schools and secondary schools to become more informed about children or teenagers their own age around the world by ‘linking’ classrooms here at home with those in the world’s poorest regions.

“If you have the chance in your own surroundings and in your own circumstances to make the day-to-day lives of others less fortunate that little bit better, or even create a chance for them to improve their own futures and that of their community, then we should not see this as a burden, or even a challenge, rather as an opportunity”
The SCOOP’s vision fits in with the The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which are eight international development goals that 192 United Nations member states and at least 23 international organizations have agreed to achieve by the year 2015. They include reducing extreme poverty, reducing child mortality rates, fighting disease epidemics such as AIDS, and developing a global partnership for development.

The SCOOP Foundation’s board have only just embarked on what they believe will be an exciting and extraordinary journey, and want your thoughts, views and energy.

For more information please visit myspace.com/scoopcharity or email them at thescoopfoundation@gmail.com