"We Do Care" - Campaign to get Irish overseas aid back on track.
22 Oct 2009
ICTU: "Get Irish overseas aid back on track."
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has joined Ireland's Development NGOs in spearheading a campaign to demonstrate that even in times of recession, Ireland Still Cares about global poverty and injustice.
In recent months, the Government has cut the budget for official development assistance (ODA), more commonly called overseas aid, by a massive €222 million (or 24%). These cuts are having a direct and negative - sometimes life-threatening - effect on the world's poorest people at a time when they are already being hit hard by high food and energy prices, climate change, declining remittances and other shocks.
Many aid projects are being scaled back or cancelled altogether, with clear negative impacts on vital development work in areas like health, nutrition, gender-based violence, girls schooling, HIV response, housing, rural development and emergency response.
For this reason ICTU has joined the campaign, which highlights that We Don't Care Less about overseas aid, simply because of economic difficulties at home.
A new website, www.wedocare.ie, invites members of the public to communicate their concerns about the aid cuts to the Government. They can do so by sending an e-card to Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan.
For further information, contact ICTU Global Solidarity. Or else, simply log onto the website at www.wedocare.ie.