Figures just released by Trócaire reveal that the Diocese of Killala donated €106,421 to its Lenten campaign last year, while the Diocese of Tuam donated €358,399, all with support from people in Mayo.
Swinford man Liam Gilmore from Trócaire has thanked the county for the support they have shown toward the world's poorest people. “Despite going through our own difficulties at home over the past year, people in Mayo have shown amazing loyalty and empathy toward people in the developing world,” he said.
The Swinford man said that the support of the people of Mayo will make him proud to be Irish as he celebrates St Patrick’s Day in Liberia where he is working with Trócaire.
This Lent Mr Gilmore is hoping that people will be able to continue supporting Trócaire as the agency's campaign this year is about hunger, a problem he described as “shocking” in parts of rural Liberia.
“I’m continually shocked by the tiny rations of food families attempt to survive on in rural Liberia. There is more than enough food to go around in our world. Yet while some people live in excess, others starve. The hardest part of my job is speaking to mothers who know their children are hungry, watching them worry and feel helpless because there is nothing they can do. There’s nowhere to turn when your family, neighbours and community are in the same situation. That’s why support from Trócaire is so important.”
According to Mr Gilmore it is thanks to people from Mayo that Trócaire is training families to farm, process crops and sell crops at markets to earn money. “We also fund savings and loans schemes that let poor people access small amounts of credit to invest in their work to boost their earnings, such as growing extra crops or making crafts to sell. This means that parents have enough crops to feed their families and can use their extra income to send their children to school.”
