Why Ireland invests in overseas aid

Anyone wondering why Ireland continues to spend money on overseas aid, take your pick from these quotes from the last week: Speeches by Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore

Aid Worker Security – Some thoughts and resources

Recent kidnappings of aid workers should prompt NGOs to re-think their security and safety manuals – and practice.

Singing the praise of the humble potato

Today is National Potato Day in Ireland – a country that knows the link between hunger, poverty and the potato all too well.

Famine in Somalia – Lessons learned from other droughts

Over many years of responding to droughts, Irish NGOs have learned a number of important lessons about the complex relationships between drought, food scarcity and famine.

Horn of Africa faces worst drought in 60 years

In the Horn of Africa, famine yet again threatens the lives of millions of people as the region is experiencing its worst drought in 60 years. Yet again it’s the Horn of Africa that gives us these images of drought, famine and starvation. Immediately, one recalls the famine of 1984 when similar images from Ethiopia shocked the world.

Irish NGOs and SPHERE standards for humanitarian aid

On 14 April, Plan Ireland and Dóchas launched the revised SPHERE standards for humanitarian assistance. This blog explains why, and sets out how Irish NGOs work together to set – and apply – professional standards for their work. And it argues that we need everyone to insist that NGOs do adhere to those codes.

Key questions to ask any charity

Here is a list of key questions to ask any “Charity” / NGO when you are considering making a donation.

Pakistan Floods: Lessons learned from other flooding disasters

As people in Pakistan struggle to recover from the catastrophic flooding in many parts of that country, and Irish aid agencies are assisting the most vulnerable people, we list a few of the lessons learned in the past, in the hope of informing future relief programmes.