AT A time when there is precious little good news, the return home safely of Sharon Commins from Dublin, together with her Ugandan colleague Hilda Kawuki, is a welcome moment of joy. The two women come from very different countries but were united in their role as development aid workers, seeking to better the lot of others less fortunate than themselves.
That shared humanity which transends all boundaries was evident yesterday when both looked forward to the simple pleasure of being reunited with their respective families. All concerned in securing their safe release, not least Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin, his officials and Irish diplomats, deserve great praise for their patient efforts. These included hard work in Sudan and sustained and sensitive liaising with the Commins family in Ireland.
Clearly the past 107 days in captivity have been dreadful for the two women. Although they have emerged from their ordeal apparently healthy, they were not treated well. They were taken and held against their will in difficult terrain, frequently exposed to the elements. Their captors were, as Ms Commins noted, “very evil people” who subjected them to mock executions. She spoke of her personal shock at the “level of anger and sheer evilness” in her captors’ eyes. Ms Kawuki was equally firm. “To have people screaming at you in Arabic and pointing a gun to your head and then shooting bullets around you – that’s completely unacceptable.”
Their ordeal serves to underline the reality that overseas development aid work is not a risk-free venture. Ms Commins and Ms Kawuki are just two people among many thousands who engage in such endeavour, some as a full-time career and many more on a temporary basis. This State has a proud record of reaching out to help others. Goal, the charity for which the duo worked, was founded in 1977 by John O’Shea and operates in 10 countries. Irish Aid, a wing of the Department of Foreign Affairs, dispersed some €899 million in assistance to almost 30 countries last year. Of this, some €70.8 million went to non-governmental organisations including Goal, Christian Aid, Concern, Self Help Development International and Trócaire.
Ms Commins has intimated that her days as a foreign aid worker are over for now. Her recent experiences are mercifully rare but the commendable work in which she and Ms Kawuki were engaged will continue to serve as an inspiration to others.