Dublin Gaelic football star, Noelle Healy, supports Trócaire Lenten campaign.

Trócaire today appealed to the people of Ireland to support its 2022 Lenten appeal which is supporting millions in Zimbabwe suffering from the devastating impact of Covid-19 and climate change.

The iconic Trócaire Box – which has been a firm Lent feature in Ireland for almost 50 years – will be rolled out to almost 700,000 homes, schools and churches this week.

This year’s appeal highlights how thousands of families in Zimbabwe are struggling with the triple challenges of Covid-19, climate change and a devastated economy. The Trócaire Box features a family – widow Thandekile and her two children – based in Matobo district in southern Zimbabwe who face massive daily challenges in their lives. (Note: Full story on Thandekile and her family attached).

Recently retired Dublin Gaelic football star and doctor, Noelle Healy, who holds five All-Ireland senior Ladies Football Championship medals, said she is delighted to be supporting the appeal.

“Like so many people all over Ireland I grew up with the Trócaire box. It holds a very special place in the hearts and minds of the people of Ireland and represents hope for millions in our world who are struggling every day to survive.”

“Lent is the engine that keeps Trócaire’s programmes going throughout the year. The public’s donations this year will help Trócaire continue to work closely with the community in the Matobo district in Zimbabwe to ensure they have access to food and other basic needs, as well as raising awareness about Covid-19 prevention and vaccinations."

Trócaire CEO, Caoimhe de Barra, today thanked the people of Ireland for their continued support, in particular over the last two very challenging years.

She said the needs of people are more acute than ever given the growing impact of climate change. She pointed out that the latest report from the Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change, released on Monday, shows the extreme challenges faced by those living in Zimbabwe and in other developing countries.

“In Zimbabwe, the evidence of climate change is extremely overwhelming with droughts and cyclones affecting families’ ability to grow food and access clean water. According to the World Food Programme, 63 per cent of the Zimbabwe population of over 15 million live under the poverty line. Before the Covid-19 outbreak, 7.7 million Zimbabweans faced food shortages after a drought and cyclone in 2019, and ongoing drought in the last year has exacerbated the situation. This has been worsened by rampant inflation,” Ms de Barra said.

This year, the Lent box brings these extreme challenges to life through the story of widow Thandekile (31) and her two children, Nomatter (11) and Forward (8) who live in the Matobo district in Southern Zimbabwe.

In November 2020, the family’s already fragile world was turned upside down when Covid-19 hit. Thandekile’s husband Donovan (35) passed away from Covid-19 in South Africa where he was working to earn an income so he could provide for his family. Thandekile’s greatest fear now is that she will die from Covid-19 or hunger, and that there will be no-one to look after her children.

Even before Covid-19, Thandekile and her family were facing hunger as droughts and heavy rainfall caused their plants and crops to fail. The family would often go nights without eating as food was not always available in their community.

Trócaire has been working in Zimbabwe since 1980 providing humanitarian aid and food security. The agency also does a huge amount of work on women’s empowerment and human rights.

Ms de Barra said: “We are so incredibly grateful for the generous donations we receive from parishes, schools and families in Ireland each year and I would appeal to people across the country to support this vital campaign. This can be done by collecting your loose change in the Trócaire Lent box, donating online or holding fundraising events. Every donation will help families like Thandekile’s this Lent.”

To order a Trócaire box go to Trócaire Box Order Form – Trócaire (trocaire.org).