Trócaire has paid tribute to the generosity of the public in Northern Ireland whose donations secured the agency an additional £2 million in funding from the UK government.
Earlier this year the government pledged to match public donations to Trócaire’s Lenten Appeal up to a maximum of £2 million.
The appeal, which ran from February to May, highlighted the challenges faced by people in South Sudan who have had to flee their homes because of years of conflict.
Siobhan Hanley, Trócaire’s Head of Region in Northern Ireland, described the outcome as amazing.
“We are absolutely overjoyed to get this news. Once again we asked the people of Northern Ireland to stand in solidarity with those in the developing world and, despite everything going on here in relation to Covid-19, the public stepped up to the plate.”
She said the government would only match public donations and so the result was purely down to those individuals, parishioners, clergy and school communities that supported the appeal.
The appeal has raised £4,988,000 to date including the match funding from the UK government.
“The extra £2 million we will receive from the government will be used specifically in South Sudan where thousands of people don’t have access to enough food because of decades of conflict and displacement compounded by climate change and gender-based violence,” Siobhan Hanley said.
This funding would enable Trócaire to supply food and water, empower women, facilitate access to cultivated land and provide suitable crops and training on sustainable farming practices. “This will help families to become self-sufficient without having to rely on aid,” Ms Hanley said.
Awut and Ajak, the two women from South Sudan who were featured in the Lenten Appeal, lost their homes and husbands to the war in South Sudan and are now supporting each other to rebuild their families lives. “They are the perfect example of what can be achieved if we work together,” Trócaire’s spokesperson said.
Last year Trócaire supported 2.7 million people in 25 countries.
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