Gorta Joins ‘National Famine Memorial Day’ Committee
Gorta - The Freedom from Hunger Council of Ireland, announces that Brian Hanratty, CEO, has has been appointed to the “National Famine Memorial Day“ Committee by Éamon Ó Cuív, T.D., Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. He joins author Tim Pat Coogan and lecturer, Dr. Margaret McCurtain and an expert panel drawn from a number of different sectors.
Commenting on the appointment Hanratty said “Gorta is the longest established overseas aid agency and has been tackling the issues of food security throughout the developing world with the support of tens of thousands of donors nationally since 1965. Gorta’s name meaning “famine“ acknowledges its close association with famine both in the past and where it exists around the world today.”
Hanratty added “Gorta congratulates the government on the establishment of the committee welcomes the opportunity to contribute to its work.”
ENDS
Adrienne Dunne, Manager-Marketing and Communications,Office 01 664 0157, Mobile 087 786 2868, email adrienne.dunne@gorta.org web www.gorta.org
EDITORS NOTES
GORTA-The Freedom from Hunger Council of Ireland
• Gorta’s mission is to work for a world free from the injustices of chronic hunger, povertyand disease, having special regard for the plight of children and the empowerment of women. Gorta establishes partnerships with local communities, and supports local leadership to ensure their needs are met in a sustainable way.
• Programmes and projects supported by Gorta are located predominantly in Sub-Saharan Africa where the need is greatest. Their objective is to help people become self-sufficient in food production and income generation thereby creating a secure future for generations to come. Gorta supports agricultural activities including livestock rearing, irrigation schemes and other water-based projects. The support of education, healthcare initiatives and income generating activities also forms part of Gorta’s work.
• Gorta was the first overseas development organisation to be set up in Ireland. It was established by the Department of Agriculture in 1965 at the request of the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations and has since become an independent NGO. Since its inception, Gorta has channeled the contributions of Irish people to over 2,000 projects in the developing
