Saplings school receives €10,000 from Pakistani Golfers Ireland

PAKISTANI Golfers Ireland presented a cheque for €10,000 to Saplings Special School, Carlow recently. 

The school, which currently supports 30 students aged from four to 18 with autism and complex needs from Carlow, Kilkenny, Laois and Kildare, plans to use the donation to lease a suite of iPads for students across both primary and post-primary settings.

The new technology will significantly enhance communication, particularly for the school’s pre-verbal and minimally verbal students who rely on augmentative and alternative communication apps.

The iPads will also support highly individualised learning programmes, including literacy, numeracy, visual scheduling, regulation apps and skill-building tools. They “will have a direct and immediate impact on how our students communicate, learn and regulate throughout the school day,” said Lesley Brant, principal at Saplings. 

Ms Brant extended her sincere gratitude to the golf club for its generosity.

The money was raised through tee-box sponsor ships and individual do nations at the annual Pakistan Golf Cup at Powerscourt Golf Club in July. 

"Ireland has welcomed our community with warmth and generosity, and we are proud to call this country our home.

"Giving back through the Pakistan Golf Cup is our way of showing appreciation for that kindness,” explained Dr Nasir Awan, who established the club in 2018.

A total of 72 golfers participated in the event. It was closely contested, but Usman Shaukat was in the end awarded the trophy sponsored by the Embassy of Pakistan in Dublin.

This is the second year that the Pakistan Golf Cup has incorporated a charitable initiative, reflecting the organisers’ commitment to giving back to the Irish community.