The Irish Emergency Alliance: All you need to know

ActionAid Ireland is proud to be a founding member of the Irish Emergency Alliance– a group of six of Ireland’s leading aid charities who have come together to respond to extreme crisis around the world. Today, the Irish Emergency Alliance launch our first emergency appeal – the Coronavirus Appeal – to help us respond faster and to do more to save lives.

While we continue to try to control and prevent the spread of coronavirus in Ireland, globally the pandemic continues to worsen. The death toll worldwide is now approaching one million.

The Irish Emergency Alliance will focus its joint response on vulnerable populations, including refugees living in seven of the most challenging countries in the world. These countries are Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lebanon, South Sudan as well as the Rohingya refugee camps of Cox Bazar, Bangladesh. In each of these locations, people are not only contending with rising coronavirus cases but are also burdened by conflict and abject poverty.

We aim to reach people with limited access to healthcare and safe, clean water. Not only do all these countries have very few ICUs, ventilators or medical staff, they are also dealing with the consequences of conflict and are home to over 17 million refugees and displaced people. High rates of other underlying health conditions, whether caused by poor nutrition, HIV or bouts of malaria, place even more people at higher risk of contracting the virus.

For countries already affected by conflict, humanitarian disaster and disease, effective measures like social distancing are extremely difficult. Likewise, in the world’s most vulnerable communities, hand washing, and mask-wearing are difficult asks.

How can you wash your hands if you have no access to running water or soap?

Our member organisations are Action Aid, Christian Aid, Plan International, Self Help Africa, Tearfund and World Vision.

Together, we have decades of combined experience and are active in over 80 of the world’s poorest countries, often working closely with local partner organisations.  Last year alone, we mobilised to support people affected by more than 20 disasters and conflicts worldwide, operating in some of the most difficult situations.

By working together, we can raise more for the people affected, and make even better use of those funds by working more efficiently so donations go further. We are able to save on costs by sharing resources and preventing duplication.

Please give what you can at www.irishemergencyalliance.org or by calling 1 800 939 979 or texting IEA to 50300 to give €4.

Thank you