Successful Soccer Marathon raises much-needed funds for Haiti

Generous Roscommon people have raised €2,100 for Haiti’s orphans thanks to a 24-hour soccer marathon and street collection earlier this month.

The money, given to OM international's disaster response teams in Haiti through OM ireland, will help aid workers to provide food, water and essential supplies for hundreds of orphans in five orphanages in the southern areas of Port-au-Prince.

Roscommonl fundraiser Danny Doyle organised the soccer marathon from 6pm on Friday 12 February to 6pm the following day.  Eager football players turned up throughout the night – even at 4 in the morning eight people were playing – and Danny himself kept awake for the full 24 hours!  Others took to the streets with collection boxes.

“We are deeply grateful to Danny for organising the fund raiser, to everyone who took part in the soccer marathon and collection, and to every single person who donated money,” said OM Ireland Director Mike Mullins.

“On February 16 OM international sent another team of six people into Haiti to continue our work there. They are distributing food, water, blankets, medicine and other essential supplies to the five orphanages and their surrounding communities.

“This week a structural engineer has arrived to work on the orphanage buildings and a psychologist has started helping the children to come to terms with the trauma.  An eight-member medical team will be on site for the next two weeks, running clinics to treat the orphans, the orphanage workers and people from the local community.”

Read the latest updates from Haiti.