Irish peacekeepers in Lebanon take part GOAL Mile charity Christmas run

Fri, 25 Dec, 2020 - 17:30

Steven Heaney

Irish soldiers in Lebanon were among the thousands of people here and abroad who took part in this year’s GOAL Mile run today.

The members of the 117 IrishPolBatt serving with the UNIFIL multinational peacekeeping force in South Lebanon, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Fred O’Donovan, completed their mile early this morning.

The GOAL Mile event, which would usually attract thousands of people at different events all around Ireland, had to be held virtually this year.

Lt Col O’Donovan said: “This is a Christmas Day like no other as Covid-19 impacts all over the globe.

"Members of the 117 Battalion are not home this Christmas with our families as we continue our tour of duty here in south Lebanon.

Members of the @defenceforces are running the @GOAL_Global Mile in Southern Lebanon today.

Some in Santa suits and some in heavy suits! pic.twitter.com/W6BgVjBRNc
— Tom Douglas (@TomDouglas95) December 25, 2020

"But we were delighted to do our GOAL Mile today, and to support the vulnerable communities GOAL supports in Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.”

GOAL helps support vulnerable communities in 13 countries across Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.

For this year’s online event, GOAL encouraged people to run the Christmas mile at a time and place of their choosing, and to do it within their own social bubble to avoid gatherings of larger groups.

GOAL CEO, Siobhan Walsh, thanked all of those who took part in today's event.

Ms Walsh also sought to remind people that there was still plenty of time to register and complete a virtual GOAL Mile at some stage over the holiday period.

Thanks to @irishpolbatt for their support in this years #goalmile https://t.co/6V1LPM9n1W
— GOAL Global (@GOAL_Global) December 25, 2020

She said: “I want to extend a word of thanks to each and every person in Ireland and across the world for uniting as one global family this Christmas to make a difference. Thank you for your humanity.

“This year has seen all of our lives upheaved in ways unimaginable just 12 months ago. The impact of Covid-19 has been profound in the 13 countries in which GOAL works, exacerbated by the unresolved humanitarian issues that plague progress including climate change, global hunger, access to clean water, basic medical care, and sustainable livelihoods.”

“Since March, our teams have implemented a wide range of activities to reach over 17 million people with Covid-19 awareness and supports. This would not have been possible without the generous support of the people of Ireland.”