Many years ago, in the 1990s, someone said to me: “If you can change the life of even one person, it is an important step in changing our world.”
This was good advice which I have carried with me because the scale of need and suffering in our world can often feel overwhelming. There is nothing more important than meeting the basic human needs of people.
For those of us working in the humanitarian aid sector, our daily focus is on helping the millions of people living in fragile contexts. We work with families trapped in the chaos caused by conflict, climate change and more recently those impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
As a nation, we have never forgotten where we came from, the support we received in our time of need, and the importance of giving back
The last 18 months has been a period like no other as we saw how Covid-19 ravaged every corner of the globe. The virus has no boundaries. It does not discriminate. What this global pandemic has taught us is that as long as one person is at risk, we are all at risk.
It has certainly reminded us of our fragile existence and our interconnectedness as one global family. It has highlighted our ability to adapt and evolve rapidly.
It has also highlighted the generosity of the Irish people. As a nation, we have never forgotten where we came from, the support we received in our time of need, and the importance of giving back.
Just one example: the Navajo Nation Indian population in the US was badly hit by Covid-19, and when the Navajo people appealed for help, that appeal was heard by the Irish people. We recalled the support of the Choctaw Indians to our people during the Great Famine, and took this opportunity to mirror that generosity.
Against all that the pandemic has wrought last year, Goal reached a total of 14.3 million direct beneficiaries across our 14 countries of operation. Goal was also able to expand its outreach, including supporting the increasing numbers of people forced to flee their homes due to climate change, conflict and Covid-19.
Our work included responding to the second-largest migrant crisis in the world today, the displacement of more than 1.7 million Venezuelan people forced to flee westward to Colombia and resulting in one of the world’s largest displaced populations. Recent reports warn that the number of Venezuelan refugees and migrants could rise to seven million in 2021.
This work is possible thanks to the generosity of our public supporters and Government partners, including Irish Aid. Once again, the profound kindness and solidarity of the Irish people shone through.
We should be grateful to Shofa for sharing her experience. It behoves us to listen, to connect with her story, increase our understanding of the world and care and protect each other
On June 17th Goal launched a documentary and photo exhibition called Home From Home: The Story of Syrian Refugees in Turkey, providing a unique insight into the lives of people who have been caught in the 10-year Syrian crisis. Before this devastating conflict, families were earning a living, educating their children, and looking forward to a bright future.
We were delighted to have former president of Ireland and chair of the Elders, Mary Robinson, as keynote speaker at the launch. Her words were, as always, impactful. She said: "These are ordinary people like us, forced out due to circumstances beyond their control to face terrible barriers." She also reminded us that "everyone can do something to change the world".
One of the most powerful stories from the documentary was of a mother of five children, called Shofa. In the documentary she talks of being forced from home due to the bombings. She didn’t talk with shame or ask for pity, but wanted to draw the world’s attention to the life her children and her community are living.
Every human story matters.
We should be grateful to Shofa for sharing her experience. It behoves us to listen, to connect with her story, increase our understanding of the world and care and protect each other. That is what being human is about and, as Irish people, we are good at this.
As Albert Einstein said: "Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile".
Siobhán Walsh is chief executive officer at Goal. The Home from Home documentary referred can be viewed at goalglobal.org/homefromhome/