About Us

Friends of Londiani is run by 7 Directors who currently are all volunteers.

MariaKidney is the Chairperson of Friends of Londiani. In July 2000, Maria travelled to Kenya on a climbing expedition. While shopping in Nairobi with some friends Maria was mugged and so sought refuge in the Kenyan Girl Guides' Headquarters. During her time there she learned of the many projects that the Kenyan Girl Guides are involved in, and so on returning to Ireland a proposal was drawn up to turn this dream into a reality for the Irish Guiding Associations. A group of 20 Adult Guide Leaders travelled to Londiani in August 2002 to complete a project there. On returning home from Kenya, the Friends of Londiani was set up. Maria is an IT professional working in the Musgrave Group.

Helen Concannon is Vice Chairperson of Friends of Londiani. A secondary school teacher currently based in Dublin, originally from Galway. First got involved in FOL in 2001 over an Irish breakfast with Maria! Then through her involvement in The Irish Girl Guides in which she is still a volunteer leader.

Martin Ballantyne is Treasurer of Friends of Londiani. Martin first went to Kenya in 2003 on honeymoon where he got married again in the village of Lelsothet! Martin is an Accountant, and currently works as a Financial Controller. He has been involved in the Friends of Londiani since 2002.

Hazel Murphy is Secretary of Friends of Londiani. She was a member of the original Harambee 2002 project in Kenya and became a member of the Friends of Londiani on her return. She is a Montessori teacher and runs her own school based in Ballinlough, Cork.

Ger Murphy has been involved in FOL since 2002, and visited Kenya for the first time in 2007. Ger is a Shift Operator in a factory in Cork, and spends a lot of time organising events and programmes for FOL.

Joe Willis was part of the FOL Harambee 2005 team that completed projects in Kenya in 2005. Joe & Deirdre along with two of their sons Ken and Simon Henleywillis spent 3 weeks in Kenya in 2005 as volunteers.
Joe is a Medical Scientist by profession and is currently Laboratory Manager at the Munster Regional Transfusion Centre in Cork.   Joe also does voluntary work with The Irish Girl Guides and Scouting Ireland in Macroom.

Deirdre Henley was a member of the original Harambee 2002 project in Kenya and became a member of the Friends of Londiani on her return.  She is a volunteer Leader with the local Guides and Scouts and a member of the Senior Citizen’s Committee in Macroom.  Deirdre works as a Development Officer with The Irish Girl Guides in the South West Region.

FOL Ireland is now an official registered charity (CHY16505), and will continue to work with development projects in Kenya. Friends of Londiani Kenya is now a recognised NGO (Non-Governmental Organisation) in Kenya.

Click here to read the history of Friends of Londiani

For comments or questions please contact:
Friends of Londiani, 9 Cois Cuain, Mosestown, Whitegate, Co. Cork; Telephone: +353 21 4662730; info@friendsoflondiani.com

© 2008 Friends of Londiani, Ireland