Street collection for East Africa

Severe drought has struck Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia and thousands of people have died as a result of food and water shortages. Over 10 million people are at risk of the same fate if the rest of the world do not provide the emergency aid necessary to prevent this humanitarian disaster.

Concern Worldwide (one of the 14 aid agencies that make up the DEC) has been working in Somalia for 25 years and are ideally placed to provide immediate food, clean water and shelter to the thousands who fled to Mogadishu in the hope of finding support.

In response to this emergency situation Ballycastle Concern Group will be having a Street Collection on Saturday 23rd July. They are appealing to the local community to support this collection with donations big or small.

With the situation in East Africa currently critical, any contribution to this appeal can be life saving. £3 could help provide 60 litres of clean water and sanitation for those desperately in need. £4.50 could buy a treated mosquito net that will protect a family from life threating malaria.

£10 could provide more than 15 sachets of high-energy therapeutic food, to help severely malnourished children to regain their strength. If you will not be in Ballycastle on the day of the street collection but would like to make a contribution to this emergency appeal then you can leave your donation into the Concern Charity Shop on Castle Street or phone 0800 032 4001.

Ballycastle Concern would like to take this opportunity to unreservedly thank the local community for their support of their cause over the last 28 years. By the end of 2010 over half a million pounds had been sent to Concern Worldwide from Ballycastle and has been used to save and transform the lives of millions of people across Africa.

In recognition of this tremendous achievement 8 lucky volunteers from Ballycastle Concern were invited by President McAleese to Aras an Uachtarain for a Garden Party on Thursday 7th July 2011. The ladies thoroughly enjoyed their day in Dublin and felt like they were treated like royalty!