Why do I Sparkle?

I Sparkle because I believe in the core message of the Sparkle Foundation which is to create brighter futures for children not only in Malawi but all over this world. We live in a world where there is so much needless suffering and poverty and there is no need for it to be like this. I fully believe that Sparkle can help to reduce this needless suffering and become a global game changer in both helping children and educating people who are well off to give a little more.

Sparkle came to me rather than I went looking for it even though it was my dream to be part of a project like Sparkle. My passion for humanitarian work directed me towards a career in primary school teaching. A career I enjoyed although I always felt I had more to give. In 2008 a beautiful lady called Paschal MacMahon walked into my life. She had spent over sixty years in India and Pakistan devoting her life to the poor. She told me her story and I was inspired by her. At the time, she was looking for help to build a social and community centre with a classroom in a slum area in New Delhi. Her story led me to embark on a 56 day solo cycle from Ireland to Istanbul and from Amritsar on the India Pakistan border to New Delhi in an effort to raise funds for the centre. The journey of 5303km became a time in which I reflected a lot on the plight of others. The strenuous journey I experienced over mountains and through the heat was nothing to the suffering of a child I had seen the previous summer in India standing barely clothed in a pool of sludge. A symbol to the injustices of this world inhumanity that put her standing there. I was determined to help.

Following that cycle I decided to pursue a future in humanitarian work. I completed a MA in International Relations in Dublin and also decided to finish off my teaching career in the UAE so I could fund either a year volunteering or do an internship. That began in February 2015 and through a series of coincidences I met with Sarah Brook the CEO of Sparkle. Before I knew it my dreams of becoming part of an organisation that I believed in came through. Sarah asked me to join her team and I haven’t looked back. I am still teaching in the UAE but my future will see me fully devoting my time and career with the Sparkle Foundation and helping the children of this world who do not need to suffer. There are six of us on the Sparkle team all of who are like minded and simply want to help others and save lives. We are all of different nationalities and backgrounds and together with our different backgrounds, skills and knowledge we are making positive changes.

Its early days but I am so excited in the opportunity I have been presented with. I feel it’s my mission in this life to help others as much as I can so this is what I am doing. The future is bright but I am sure there will be many challenges and difficulties. But like any mountain the greater the climb the more beautiful the view is when you reach the top. cian@sparklemalawi.org

“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty”.