Leitrim people supported more than 1.5 million people through Trócaire donations 

Trόcaire thanked Leitrim people for their donations, which helped support 1.58 million people in 23 countries in 2022/23, according to its Annual Report published today.    

Trόcaire is an agency of the Irish Catholic Church that supports people living in poverty, conflict and injustice with long-term programmes in 15 countries worldwide. 

Caoimhe de Barra, Trόcaire CEO, said the past year was dominated by hunger in the Horn of Africa, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and a global cost-of-living crisis threatening to plunge an additional 71 million people into poverty. 

"Years of recurrent droughts fuelled by climate change has caused extreme, life-threatening hunger for more than 20 million people in the Horn of Africa," Caoimhe said. 

"At a health centre run by Trócaire in Gedo, Somalia, I spoke with a mother who had just arrived with a critically ill baby. The infant girl was given the very best of care by our health team. But she died within two days. I will never forget that mother's grief." 

"Unfortunately, this is just one tragic story of many this year from Somalia and the Horn of Africa." 

The Trόcaire CEO said other challenges, such as the earthquake in Syria and Turkey and Cyclone Freddy in Malawi, happened suddenly and with devastating human impact.  

"Despite all of the challenges presented in 2022/2023, Trócaire – with the support of donors such as Irish Aid and with the extraordinary generosity of the people of Leitrim – worked with local partners to help change the lives of 1.58 million people in 23 countries. This is something we can all be proud of," Caoimhe de Barra said. 

She added that Trócaire also noted some great successes this year, including Ireland's performance on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). 

"We can look back with pride on our contribution to global affairs at the UNSC. For a small state, we exceeded expectations and were agile in responding to the unexpected. Ireland held the line where it mattered, putting its stamp on international relations.

"It was also a historic year for the women of Sierra Leone with the passing of two ground-breaking gender equality acts. Women's participation in local and national governments soared in June 2023 due to a new Gender Empowerment Women's Equality Act 2022, which established a 30 per cent quota for women's participation in government for both appointed positions and elected positions.

"For the first time, women were also guaranteed equal rights and access to land thanks to the Customary Land Rights Act 2022. The passing of these Acts is a proud moment for Trócaire and our partners who advocated for these laws and empowered the women of Sierra Leone to know their rights." 

Caoimhe used the report's launch to issue a dire warning on the climate catastrophe ahead of the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 28) in November. 

"The climate emergency is a catastrophe for the communities in which Trócaire works. This year at COP28, global leaders must push for an agreement to phasing out all fossil fuels and establish a loss and damage fund," the Trόcaire CEO added.