Co. Antrim people spend £88,716 on Christmas gifts to support families in world’s poorest countries

“Our Christmas gifts are a very important way for people here at home to help those in the developing world,” said Kevin Donnelly, regional manager of Trocaire. “They really do make a huge difference to the lives of people who just want a hand up and not a hand out.”

“It is important to remember that when you support Trocaire, you are tackling injustice across the developing world,” said Kevin. “For example, our work supports people who are fighting political and corporate powers to get legal entitlement to land. We are also supporting people who have been driven from their homes and their countries by war and violence.”

Trocaire is reaching people affected by long-term poverty, people living through humanitarian emergencies and people struggling in regions that are suffering the effects of climate change as they bravely try to build a better life for themselves and their families. The organisation is only able to do this through the support of the public in Ireland, north and south.

“Donations from Co. Antrim towards Trocaire’s Christmas gifts have resulted in families being able to earn an income to fund schooling; women in Somalia are having healthy babies in Trocaire medical clinics and children receiving Trocaire school kits have the books and school fees they need for their education. I have seen the difference these gifts make on the ground. It is no exaggeration to say that they are life-changing,” said Kevin Donnelly.

“These gifts are valued beyond words by the families that receive them,” said Kevin. “I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone from Co. Antrim for continuing to add our ethical gifts to their Christmas shopping list.”

The Trocaire Gifts campaign, which has been running for sixteen years, raises over £700,000 annually for Trocaire’s overseas development projects.

Each gift contains a Christmas card, which can be passed to a friend, family member, or client as a gift to them. The recipient of the card can read about how their gift will benefit a family overseas.

Trocaire’s ethical Christmas gifts range in price from £4 to £200 and include olive trees for Palestinian farmers (£4), chickens for poor families in Kenya (£5), seeds and tools to help people affected by the Ebola crisis (£10), school kits for children in Somalia (£20), goats for families in Democratic Republic of Congo (£40), support for refugees fleeing conflict in the Middle East (£55), support for grandparents caring for orphaned grandchildren (£75), safe motherhood (£85), water for drinking and growing food (£125), land for families in Myanmar, Honduras and Guatemala (£170) and support for women in business in Ethiopia (£200).

The gifts can be bought online at trocaire.org, by calling 0800 912 1200, in Veritas stores, selected Easons stores and in the Trocaire centre 50 King Street, Belfast. One4All Trocaire cards are also available online.