World

Trócaire 'helped 2.5 million people in 2019/2020'

Hala Sanak (14), plays for Gaza’s first girls' football team
Hala Sanak (14), plays for Gaza’s first girls' football team Hala Sanak (14), plays for Gaza’s first girls' football team

Trócaire received £21.2m in public donations in 2019/2020, enabling it to help 2.5 million people in 27 countries, according to its annual report.

One third of public donations eminated from the Irish charity's Lenten campaign while its annual Christmas appeal raised £2.1m. Monthly donations from supporters also contributed to the £21.2m.

In total Trócaire raised £59m in the 2019/2020 financial year with the majority of funding coming from institutional donors, including the Irish government whose international development aid programme, Irish Aid, provided £25m.

In May the charity warned of a funding crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic. Read more

Trócaire works in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East and says its largest programmes in 2019/2020 were in Ethiopia, Sudan and DR Congo. 

2019/2020 also saw the charity campaign for the Irish and British governments to support a UN Binding Treaty on business and human rights.

Trócaire CEO Caoimhe de Barra said "the commitment of the Irish public to the work of Trócaire" was clear but warned that the full impact of the coronavirus pandemic will not be known for some time.

“The Covid crisis has profoundly changed Trócaire’s work. Over recent months, our programmes have rapidly shifted to helping to stop the spread of the virus in countries that lack the most basic medical infrastructure to deal with an outbreak.  

“Trócaire and our partners are providing support in the communities where we work. As well as providing public health messaging and hand-washing facilities, we are also supporting people in quarantine and providing medical support, including isolation facilities. 

“Covid-19 is an immediate threat to us all, but the threat is heightened in places like refugee camps where people are unable to socially distance or regularly wash their hands. The social and economic implications of this pandemic have plunged already desperately poor people into further poverty. While our immediate response will continue for many months ahead, we are also expecting an increase in hunger in the months ahead. 

“We are also concerned about the human rights impact of Covid-19. This crisis may provide authoritarian governments with an opportunity to clamp down on human rights, target human rights defenders and push ahead with projects that violate the rights of communities. Women and girls are also at increased risk of violence due to lockdown measures. Addressing both the drivers and impact of that violence is a priority for Trócaire." 

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