Trocaire Talk.

Trocaire Talk

On Friday 18^th of December, all TYs gathered in the Halla Nua during religion for a talk from Anna Maloney, a diocesan adviser for post-primary schools. Anna was here to talk to us about when she went on a trip to Kenya in order to help with the preparation for The Trocaire Lenten campaign.

Trocaire is the Irish for mercy and is currently helping people who are poverty-stricken in Africa. Many people who Anna met in Kenya will feature in the Lenten campaign. The trip to Kenya was an annual Diocesan Representatives Trip and she told us about the climate, culture and poverty currently in Kenya.

33% of Kenyans are Catholics and their religion is very important to them but the main problem is the climate change which is causing huge problems for agriculture. The rains are erotic and undependable which means that one month it could be wet which is good for the soils as it makes them fertile but a month later it can be so dry that all agriculture dries out and dies making it very hard for Kenyans to grow any sort of crops.

Anna described her visit to the most densely populated slums as heart-breaking yet thought-provoking. ‘We have to do something’ Anna said. She informed us that she was greeted with open arms, sparkling smiles and the locals warmly shouting ‘Karibu!’ which means welcome. She also saw the Jacaranda Tree which she described as ‘beauty among sadness.’

The people she met there will feature in The Lenten Trocaire Campaign so make sure to have your Trocaire boxes out! This was a fascinating talk and I really took a lot from it.