Trócaire thank the people of Co. Derry for helping over 750 families and launch ‘Terrific Trees’ Gift

A family in northern Sierra Leone pose with seeds they received thanks to a Trócaire Gift of Seeds and Tools. This year the charity has added a new ‘Gift of Trees’, which will provide a source of food and nutrition as well as helping families to generate an income and protect the environment in countries where Trócaire work, aiding soil nutrition and preventing landslides. Last year, people across Northern Ireland bought more than £307,000 worth of Trócaire gifts, which helped over 13,000 families throughout the developing world. To find out more visit www.trocaire.org/gifts Photo: Michael Solis.

The development agency has revealed that generous people across the county spent over £16,000 on Trócaire’s gift range last year, allowing the charity to provide families in the developing world with clean water, essential tools, livestock and help with education.

Trócaire has now added a new gift of ‘Terrific Trees’ for their 2019 gift range ahead of the Christmas season. This gift will help families and communities plant seeds native to their country in order to help protect trees and land for future generations, aiding soil nutrition and preventing landslides.

Trócaire’s Head of Region in Northern Ireland, Siobhán Hanley, said: “I’d once again like to thank all of our generous supporters in County Derry who have bought Trócaire Gifts, which help to provide essential support for some of the world’s poorest communities.

“This year our new gift of trees has the potential to provide a fantastic source of food and nutrition and it can also help families to generate an income and protect the environment in many countries where Trócaire work.

“Families across Africa, Asia and Central America will benefit from the new gift. About 70% of the world’s poorest people live in rural areas and they depend on farms and the land to survive. Trees are a lifeline in rural communities in many countries where we work like Guatemala, Rwanda, Malawi and Myanmar.”

Trócaire explained that trees can do so much to protect and preserve farms and land – they provide nutrients to the soil, which allow crops to grow, they can prevent landslides during rainy season and they help to reduce flooding.

Trees are also a vital source of shade for crops, they retain moisture to help prevent droughts during the dry season and their leaves provide essential fertilizer for the soil. They allow food to grow, they protect crops and allow people to build homes. Trees are essential for daily life in rural communities around the world.

Trócaire’s Christmas Gifts campaign has sold more than 945,000 gifts across Ireland, north and south, since 2000 and raised more than £32 million for the development agency’s work supporting families affected by long-term poverty overseas.

Siobhán Hanley added: “Trócaire’s other gifts – from small items like soap and chicks to bigger gifts like water support – also help communities in countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Honduras and South Sudan.”

There are 15 Trócaire gifts to choose from this year, such as chicks, beehives and solar lamps ranging in price from £5 to £1000. New additions for 2019 include the ‘Gift of Trees’ for £75.

You can buy Trócaire gifts online at www.trocaire.org/gifts or by calling 08009121200. You can also purchase in the Trócaire centre at 50 King Street, Belfast.