NOVEMBER 2008

Local charity workers return from Africa

Three charity fundraisers, two of whom are from Inishowen, have recently arrived back from a fascinating field trip to one of the world's poorest countries, where they experienced at first hand the farm work being done by an Irish development agency.

Ellen McDermott (Culdaff), Albert Doherty (Quigley's Point) and Anne Toland (Letterkenny) spent a week on a fact-finding mission in Ethiopia. They were part of a 25 strong delegation brought to the African country to bear witness to the work of Self Help Africa, the Irish Agency which has been working with farmers in Ethiopia since 1984, when the country experienced its worst-ever famine.

"It was wonderful to see the work that is being done in rural parts of Ethiopia. Self Help Africa work closely with agricultural communities, and their approach is to empower local people to improve their livelihoods. We met farmers who have carried out huge improvements in terms of expanding the number of crops they are growing. Self Help Africa has introduced a range of new crops to the regions of Ethiopia we visited, including Enset or 'false banana' as it is called." said Albert Doherty.

According to the Quigley's Point farmer Enset is particularly resistant to drought, which makes it an ideal crop for Ethiopia, and this year the rains came at the right time, so the harvest has been good."

Ellen, Albert and Anne carry out a variety of fundraising events for Self Help Africa,and all three were pleased to see the fruits of their labour. "We visited schools, irrigation projects, health clinics, small farms, agro-forestry operations, market gardens, and other projects. The message we would like to bring home is that a little money can go a long way in Ethiopia, and every euro that people donate is used wisely to help farmers and their families." added Albert.

Albert said "I have to say I found the whole trip fascinating. It was my first time in Ethiopia, a country you hear so much about, and I was quite happy with the level of development there. Hopefully that will continue for many years to come."

Self Help Africa, the designated charity of the Irish Farmers' Association, aims to help people to work their way out of poverty, and the Donegal contingent saw many instances of dramatic improvement in livelihoods. Across the continent, Self Help Africa helps over 400,000 people. Self Help Africa's work can be found on www.selfhelpafrica.com.