Response is a real tribute to Irish

CONCERN Worldwide and Trócaire would like to pay a joint tribute to the Irish public this Christmas for the remarkable response to the east Africa emergency appeal.

It is a source of great pride to us domestically, as well as internationally, that the Irish people have continued with a generous spirit of giving, despite being embroiled in one of the worst financial crises the country has ever known.

The Irish public donated a total of €15 million to fund Concern and Trócaire’s emergency relief in east Africa. In addition, we were extremely grateful to receive a further €3.3m from Irish Aid. These donations allowed us to deliver life-saving aid to over 1.1m people in the region — a figure that could not have been reached if it wasn’t for the generosity of the Irish people.