Oxfam Ireland CEO Jim Clarken
Pic: Oxfam Ireland
The number of humanitarian situations across the world right now can be overwhelming. From the morning newspaper until the late night news, we are faced with the suffering of so many in Gaza, Iraq, Syria, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and beyond.
There can be a temptation to give into a feeling of helplessness and look away. However, we can help and we do help. I am writing to thank the people of Dublin for their continued support which is making a positive difference.
Because of the generous donations of the people of Dublin, the Oxfam shops in the city centre on Francis St, George’s St, Kings Inn St, Parliament St and South King St as well as in Rathfarnham, Rathmines, Phibsboro, Dundrum, Malahide and Dun Laoghaire have been raising vital funds for our emergency responses, as well as for long-term development projects and campaigning that changes the practices that create poverty in the first place.
Over the past year this work has helped 4,700 people in Rwanda to lift themselves out of poverty with a sustainable livelihood along with 3,000 female farmers in Tanzania, provided information to almost 59,000 young people in South Africa on how to prevent HIV and given vital emergency support including safe water to 1.2 million in Syria and neighbouring countries, 850,000 after the Philippines typhoon, and so far 200,000 in South Sudan and 250,000 in Gaza.
None of this would have been possible without the help of the people of Dublin. You may think you are doing something small in donating that box of bric-a-brac or bag of unwanted clothes, but you are making a big impact. For example, €8 raised by that shirt you no longer wear could help purify around 2,000 litres of water, making it safe to drink for South Sudanese families living in makeshift camps – people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and now facing a major food crisis.
By donating more, we can do more and so I am asking you to consider giving your unwanted clothes, books, accessories and other items to your local Oxfam in Dublin city centre or county today. There is a solution to that feeling of being overwhelmed by what is going on in the world today and it is found in what you already have, or have too much of. As autumn approaches and we begin to swap one wardrobe for another, please donate to an Oxfam near you.
More information can also be found on our website at https://www.oxfamireland.org/shops.
Thank you once again for your extraordinary support.
Jim Clarken
Chief Executive, Oxfam Ireland
