Trócaire : the Irish charity which bounces back against Covid-19.

At the time of Covid-19 covers the vast majority of the media, we might almost forget that this is not the only issue facing the planet. Christmas approaches and Trócaire reminds us in a context where the coronavirus has hit a very significant part of the citizens of the world, that some populations who are confronted precariousness need our help more than ever.

Trócaire is an Irish Humanitarian organisation which helps 17 countries to fight against poverty, especially in East Africa, and also in Middle East, Asia and Central America. The NGO is focus on food and resources, human rights, women’s empowerment and humanitarian action. Trócaire is mainly formed of volunteers who have helped 270 millions people with their food program and they have made the choice to work with local organisations to deal with the corruption issues in some governments. “We only work with local organisations where volunteers are from the community. Small amounts have already been missing but fortunately, it was low thousands of lost for 65 millions of euros.”

In addition to the hunger problem, the countries in the Covid-19 crisis struggle with non-access to a proper health system. In Europe, we can wash our hands, purchase masks, work from home and have access to health care. If you live in a refugee camp with no clean water without medications or masks, how can you protect your family and yourself from the virus ? 

Acknowledging that donations are significant during the Christmas period in the previous years, Trócaire held a press conference this Friday, November 27, to announce the launch of their Christmas Campaign which will commence next Thursday. The objective of this Campaign is 2.5 millions of euros in this Christmas period. In this season of kindness, the NGO expects the generosity of the donors not just in their own family but also for those who are unable to celebrate Christmas is not the main concern. During these Covid-19 times, the Humanitarian organisation has not been receiving as much as pre-Covid-19, an estimated decrease up to €5 millions. 

The press officer clarified that they are not that optimistic for the future, “the situation will remain bad between December 2020 and April 2021.” The main incertitude is not only the Covid-19 but also the climate. Trócaire is supporting Nicaragua where two millions of people have already endured two hurricanes, and where the drought is quite intense in Zimbabwe. If it is rainy enough, the situation will benefit many people, if not, it will be harder than expected. He believes that the Global pandemic is an opportunity to find a new way to help especially with the Campaign “Build Back Better”, but he also assumed that the next few weeks would be crucial if the situation is to be better for these countries in the future.