Northern Ireland News
August 2008
Trócaire Campaigners witness the need for action on climate change in Bolivia
NI campaigners John O'Doherty and Birgitta Elliott (centre pic) getting ready to go to Bolivia with other Trocaire campaigners.
This week a group of six Irish people, including 2 from the north, travelled to Bolivia to witness how Trócaire is helping people cope with the affects of climate change in the country.
The group are part of Trócaire’s growing and increasingly successful Campaigners Programme, now in its third year, which trains Irish volunteers in all they need to become social activists on global justice issues.
“This trip will reinforce our work on climate change in the developing world which was our Lenten theme this year,” said Lawrence McBride, Trócaire’s Campaign’s Officer in Northern Ireland. “The volunteers will spend 10 days in-country hosted by Trócaire staff, meeting local organisations and getting to grips with the real threats to the livelihoods of poor communities who are reliant on agriculture for daily survival.”
Lawrence continued, “On their return to Ireland the campaigners will be lobbying the Irish and UK governments to support the UN’s international adaptation fund which was set up to help countries like Bolivia adapt to the devastating impacts of climate change. This fund is woefully under-resourced at present. They will also call on the governments to urgently reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.”
Bolivia will be in the news in coming weeks as a national referendum is to be held on 10th August on whether the eastern lowland municipalities of Bolivia have the right to autonomy from central government with a resultant loss of mineral wealth to the country.
To support Trócaire’s campaign on climate change, take our e-action on climate change.
June 2008
Fundraising in the Community
Cait Hannity (left) and Audrey Boucher (right) from The Surgery at the Kennedy Centre, Falls Rd, Belfast recently ran in the Belfast Marathon and raised £550 for Trocaire through local patient donations.
St Catherine's, Armagh raised an amazing £15,540 for Trocaire as part of the 24Hr Fast. From left Ruth Reynolds, Paul Kane from Trocaire, Leah Coade, Mairead Murphy, Claire Toner, Natasha Hagan, Deirdre McDonald, Roisin McKeever, Head of RE and Roisin Kelly