By Chinedu Onyejelem

A schoolboy in Athy is launching a book of poems on his 10th birthday to raise funds for his school and a favourite charity.

Johnpaul ‘JP’ Ugwu told Metro Éireann that his motivation in publishing My Great Little Book of Poems is to “solve people’s problems. I like writing poems because it is fun and engaging. Now it has become a talent for me.”

The youngster said he hopes to raise €2,000 for the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation, which provides care to children with special needs all over Ireland, and the canteen at his school Scoil Mhichil Naofa that provides hot meals for its pupils.

Inspired by his win in the 5-10 category of the 2014 National Day Children’s Essay Competition for Nigerians in Ireland, JP said he began writing his poetry collection in October last year.

He was encouraged by his school principal and mentored by his mother Edith Ugwu, who said she encouraged JP to type out his poems and save them.

“As his rate of writing rapidly increased, I sat him down one afternoon after school and made a life changing suggestion which he readily accepted without a wink, which is to write more and develop it into a book,” she told Metro Éireann.

“As time went by, I realised that Johnpaul was becoming more and more creative in his writing. He writes literary about anything and everything.”

As the book was being finished, Edith said she suggested JP donate the proceeds to charity – and faced the difficult decision to pick one out of five causes close to his heart “because he wanted to help lots of children in the world.” 

JP, who plans to be an engineer when he grows up, added that his 10th birthday would be a huge success if people would buy his book and help some very good causes. 

“There will be lots of fun, entertainment, refreshments and new people to meet,” he said of the launch event on 25 November at 7pm in Scoil Mhichil Naofa, Athy, where the collection of 30 poems will be on sale for €10.