Gallery 2019

17th October 2019

 Pictures and a few videos of Events around Ireland!

Discover here below a visual report of most of the 2019 UN Day events in Ireland!
For more details about each event,
please look at the End Poverty Day National Programme 2019!

The Irish Committee for the UN End Poverty Day is grateful to all the stakeholders and volunteers who made all these events possible!

For regular updates and pictures from events worldwide,
visit and like our
Facebook page and see also the www.overcomingpoverty.org international website!

THIS YEAR’S THEME

International Theme: Acting Together to Empower Children, Their Families and Communities to End Poverty.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) on November 1989.

This theme reminds us that our efforts to overcome poverty must address the fulfillment of all the rights of children as spelled out in the UNCRC. Childhood is a special time in everybody’s life. It is a time when children should be encouraged to learn, play and develop physically and intellectually by their family and an extended community of adults in a safe and caring environment. Poverty hurts children’s development and, in turn, leads to lower income health in adulthood.

Global Action Plan

Some photos from the Art Exhibition held on the 17th of October.

Financial Information for Family Carers

On Tuesday October 15th to mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, Family Carers Ireland held an information session aimed at supporting family carers in relation to finance and financial planning. Family carers are people caring for a loved one at home. This is a group of people recognised at being at risk of poverty and may not always be aware of the state supports available to them and the importance of financial planning while they are caring and when their caring role ends. This event was attended by over 40 people and included information stands from Citizens Information, MABS, St. Jarlath’s Credit Union, HSE, SICAP, Fair Deal Elder Care Ltd. and Family Carers Ireland. Speakers included Emer Lavin, Fair Deal Elder Care Ltd. who spoke about the importance of planning for the future, Declan Weir, Citizens Information who outlined the benefits and entitlements available, and Clare Duffy, Family Carers Ireland who spoke about the issues facing family carers in relation to finance and solutions available to them.

Westport Family & Community Resource Centre

Westport Family & Community Resource Centre hosted a community awareness event for UN Anti-Poverty Day, Thursday 17th October in Scoil Phadraig.  There were a number of guest speakers, Dr. Leonor Rodriguez, NUIG & Eamon Murphy, Social Justice Ireland. There were also a number of stands/exhibitors from relevant organisations, agencies, groups and services on the day.  The stands were really valuable in informing people on what supports are available to them in the community, while also highlighting poverty, educating people, and giving practical information and advice on the day. 

The event was a great opportunity to educate and inform people on shopping on a budget, making their euro last longer and their food last longer, highlighting gender inequalities and poverty, also healthy eating for less and reducing food waste whilst also highlighting ways that individuals can personally engage with in the effort to eradicate poverty. 

Organisations that were in attendance; Local Employment Services, St. Vincent de Paul, Mayo North East LEADER, Lions Club, Family Carers Mayo, Homeless Period Ireland, Mayo CYPSC, Mayo Disability Advocacy, Diversity Mayo & Team Hope.  We had a number of interactive stands, a “pledge board” and Swap shop which was extremely popular with attendees.  We were very lucky to receive much appreciated support/donations from local businesses including Bee Green, Lidl & Tescos.

Tullamore Community & Family Resource Centre

Acting to empower children, families and communities to end poverty’

A community event to commemorate and raise awareness of the UN International Day for the Eradication of Poverty was held in Tullamore Community & Family Resource Centre 17th October.  The theme for 2019 was ‘Acting to empower children, families and communities to end poverty’

The itinerary for the day included a presentation of the UN Children’s Rights and a reading of Joseph Wresinski address ‘I bear witness’ by 3rd class boys from Scoil Eoin Phoil II  Naofa. 

The Guest Speaker was Geraldine Byrne (Director of Tullamore Resource Centre and former principle of St Joseph’s NS) who talked about her thoughts on poverty and children’s rights.  The event was well attended with 45 children from the school participating and approximately 40 people including parents in attendance. Asian Street food was served by Cafe India and Harpist Grace Minnock provided music.  In addition to the event a banner was erected on Bridge Street from Wednesday to Monday to raise awareness of the day and it is anticipated to display the banner going forward annually at this time.  Thank you is extended to the staff from the Bridge House who erected the banner and to the teachers who worked with the children in what was an excellent and entertaining presentation.  This event was funded by the Department of Social Protection. 

Tullamore Community & Family Resource Centre provide a wide range of supports and services to children and families. 

Treoir

The National Federation for Unmarried Parents and their Children held a series of public events to mark UN Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

In keeping with the theme, Treoir ran a series of “Know your Rights” events from the 15 to 18 October. These provided information to parents who are not married to each other about their rights in relation to custody, access, guardianship, passports and social welfare.  They also provided people with information on the supports and services that are available to them.

National Womens Council of Ireland and the West Clare Family Resource Centre

Women from West Clare came together at a public gathering in Kilrush Library on the 15th October to call for better local services in the Kilrush area. The event was organised by the National Women’s Council  of Ireland (NWCI) and the West Clare Family Resource Centre to mark United National International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and the International Day of Rural Women.  The theme chosen by the UN to celebrate 17 October 2019 is: “Acting together to empower children, their families and communities to end poverty.”
The theme of the International Day of Rural Women 2019 Theme is: Rural Women and Girls Building Climate Resilience

There was music, food and sharing from the women involved.  See our press release here

A local artist Martina Hynan worked with a group of women to discuss their own experiences of living in West Clare and Poverty. The group have now formed the West Clare Womens Collective. If you are interested in joining the group you can contact Mary O Donoghue, Coordinator of West Clare Family Resource Centre on mary@westclarefrc.ie

They will be campaigning for the following;

  • Return of Shannon doc
  • Outreach Maternity Service
  • Affordable Childcare for All
  • Return of Warfarin Clinic
  • Bus Link with Clare Haven Services
  • All Government Schemes to pay the Living Wage
  • Travel Allowance for Employment and Education

Offaly Traveller Movement Youth Project

“Offaly Traveller Movement Youth Project launched their original song entitled “Labels” on Tues 22nd October 4.30pm in the Central Hotel, Tullamore, to mark the UN International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, 2019. Each year we honor this day with an innovative project, in solidarity with global poverty and social exclusion, and in highlighting social issues affecting Travellers in Ireland. This years project was writing and recording a song that explored prejudice, and producing an accompanying music video. The group of eight girls, now known as “Little Minceirs” (Minceirs means Travellers in Cant language) explored issues around stereotyping, blame, inadequacies in services, social exclusion, poverty and the eradication of their nomadic culture. With their youth leader in OTM, they created a unique song, which seeks to provoke thought, and challenge prejudice. Little Minceirs then recorded their song in Genius Move Studios, and shot their music video.  They have since gain local momentum, with radio play and interviews on air, as well as local newspapers and media. The song is currently on YouTube and will be released on Spotify and associated music platforms on Friday 15th November. This will allow our message to continue to be circulated, in the hope of defying prejudice and labeling. 

To watch/listen the video, please click here.

Young SVP

Young SVP took part in the campaign by engaging third-level students nationwide in poverty education and awareness. Over the week including the 17th October and the following week, Young SVP facilitated a ‘Poverty and the Cost of Living’ workshop on eight different campuses nationwide, including in Dublin, Maynooth, Cork, Tralee, and Galway. The workshop explores students’ perceptions of poverty, develops understanding of how poverty functions in Irish society and around the world, and why some people are more vulnerable to poverty than others. It includes interactive exercises and games to explore students’ knowledge and create a dynamic learning environment. Many of the exercises in the workshop are developed from the experiences of SVP visitation volunteers and from our Social Justice research.

The second part of the campaign involves the Survive on Five challenge. Survive on Five is also developed from SVP research, which finds that for someone earning minimum wage, paying average rent, bills and other expenditures, €5 a day is all that remains for food costs. We encouraged students to take the challenge to ‘survive’ on €5 for all their food and drink each day for five days. The exercise aims to bring to life the challenges of managing the cost of living in a very real and material way.

While many students (and their families) are living on increasingly tight budgets as the costs of third-level education and student accommodation increase, the campaign sought to situate students’ experiences in the wider context of poverty in Ireland. Facilitating this workshop with third-level students has been an eye-opening experience, as students are increasingly facing their own financial struggles. While the 17th October has been and gone, the campaign to eradicate poverty continues. We have much work yet to do, but judging by the students we met during this campaign, the young people of Ireland are more than match for it.

Kids Own Publishing Partnership

In tandem with the 17 October 2019 theme Kids’ Own was delighted to be working on a new project, in collaboration with the C.R.I.B Youth Project, Sligo, which allowed young participants to respond creatively and meaningfully to this theme. During the month of October 2019, young participants from Sligo and the surrounding areas worked alongside writer Mary Branley and artist Kiera O’Toole for two creative engagement sessions. Through a creative process, the group had the opportunity to express themselves freely, and explore diverse  issues through writing and artwork. Some insights into their creative process and engagement on the issue of ending poverty were exhibited in the Model, Sligo on the 25th October, and provided an important platform for hearing young people’s voices on this issue.


Barnardos

Four women, four mothers, four families accessing support from Barnardos This video explores the lived-experience of a small group of families who access support from Barnardos. As part of the United Nations Day for the Eradication of Poverty, Barnardos commissioned visual artist Patrick Bolger and sociologist Dr Maria Quinlan to work with four parents who use our services, to explore their experiences and to capture their stories. These mothers find themselves accessing support for their children from Barnardos for similar reasons – some have experienced intimate-partner violence, physical and psychological, and have had to leave their homes because of it; some have children with special learning needs and who have struggled to access the support they need from the health and education systems. They carry in their hands their own pain and that of their children. They display an abundance of strength, resilience, grit and determination to fight for access to support for their children, and to continue to rise despite the adversity that they have faced. Their strength and determination is in contrast to the poverty that that they have experienced at a systems-level in Ireland, where waiting times for children’s early intervention assessments can be several years, and where demand for children’s mental health supports severely outstrips the supply. For these families Barnardos has been a life-line, a safety net. These are their stories…

Click here to view video.

Dublin gathering on Custom House Quay at the Poverty Stone marking International End Poverty Day

To view video for Commemoration of UN End Poverty Day Gathering 2019, Human Rights and Poverty Stone – Click here.

#End povertyIRL