Plant the Planet Games 2023 officially launched
50 inter-county players, past and present, are gearing up to experience a “life changing” trip to Kenya next month as part of the Warriors for Humanity group who will take part in the Plant the Planet Games. The players have raised hundreds of thousands of euro as they aim to plant trees to tackle the devastating effects of climate change and raise awareness of the work of Self Help Africa.
Libby Coppinger (Cork Camogie), Lyndsey Davey (ex-Dublin Football), Dan Morrissey (Limerick Hurling) and Ciaran Murtagh (Roscommon Football) are part of the group who will travel to the east African country. They joined the Kenyan Ambassador to Ireland His Excellency Michael K. Mubea, EBS, Gaelic Players Association CEO Tom Parsons, Self Help Africa Director of Business Development Martha Hourican and Warriors for Humanity CEO and Founder Alan Kerins to officially launch the project in Dublin today.
Self Help Africa’s mission is to alleviate hunger, poverty, social inequality and the impact of climate change. They do that through community-led, market based and enterprise focused approaches to agricultural development, ensuring that people have access to nutritious food, decent income and employment and clean water and basic services, all while sustaining natural resources.
This is the second year of the Plant the Planet Games, the brainchild of Warriors for Humanity CEO and Founder Alan Kerins. Last year, over €500,000 was raised by inter-county players in support of the event, with one million trees being planted. It has been described by many of the players who travelled in 2022 as “life-changing”.
Self Help Africa CEO Feargal O’Connell said that the Plant the Planet Games was an incredibly initiative by Irish Gaelic players, as it would enable a million trees to be planted to both sequester carbon and restore depleted lands in Africa, and would also raise awareness of the impacts that global warming was having on that continent, where rural poor communities are feeling its worst effects. “As we speak, northern Kenya is experiencing its fifth successive year of drought. Up to four million people are in need to emergency aid, while hundreds of thousands of livestock have died,” he said.
Speaking at the launch GPA CEO Tom Parsons said; “We are very proud of the legacy that is already being created by inter-county players who have given so much to this project. I witnessed at first-hand the impact on the ground in Kenya GPA members had in 2022 and once the opportunity arose for our association to be involved this year, we didn’t have to think twice.
“But this is not just about what players invest of themselves in the project. For us, it is viewed in the same way as any of our development programmes. Those involved learn so much about themselves as people and about the importance of giving back. It really is a journey of personal discovery for those involved and the feedback from the players who travelled last year is testimony to its significance.”
Warriors for Humanity and Plant the Planet Games Founder Alan Kerins commented; “Every tree we plant, every euro we raise, and every journey we embark on is a testament to the collective power of sports and humanity. The Plant the Planet Games is not just about combatting climate change, but also about enlightening souls, building bridges between communities, and redefining the meaning of victory.
“Together, we are more than players; we are warriors for a brighter, greener future. I’d like to extend my deepest gratitude to our partners who stand with us in this mission. Your support amplifies our impact and reinforces the belief that together, we can make a difference.”
Warriors for Humanity travel to Kenya on November 17th. Corporate sponsors wishing to support individual players or the project should contact alan@alankerinsprojects.org. You can also buy the specially commissioned McKeever jerseys at https://portaleur.myshopify.com/collections/wfh. €20 from each purchase goes to the fundraising element of the project. Each jersey will help plant 25 trees and help 125 people towards achieving sustainable livelihoods.
