Saint Martin Apostolate has been a long standing supporter of Trócaire’s never ending efforts to improve the life of others and assist the most vulnerable in the developing world.
Trócaire was established by the Catholic Church in 1973 as a way for Irish people to donate to the development and emergency relief overseas. They work in partnership with the Catholic Church and civil society organisations in over 20 developing countries globally, in order to gain local networks and knowledge which help them bring about lasting change.
Most recently we donated to their work in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where the charity’s efforts are focused on humanitarian response and building resilient communities; supporting women’s empowerment through governance work, and sustainable livelihood activities. Part of these activities is building water wells to provide fresh clean drinking water for local communities.
Take a look at the case study below where a 37 year-old widowed woman explains why it is important for these resources and how funding from Saint Martin’s has helped.
Water Projects
Fataki Village, Djugu, DRC
My name is Gertrude Kansime. I am 37 years old, a widow and mother of five children. We live in Fataki village, in eastern DRC. Our country is facing huge difficulties – with severely limited access to our basic needs such as drinking water and devastating conflicts which have left hundreds massacred.
I had to get up at five in the morning and travel long distances to reach a water source. This meant exposure to many dangers such as the risk of rape. Once there, I had to queue for hours to access an unsafe and unmanaged water supply. However, in November 2017, things changed. Trócaire, with the financial support of St Martin Apostolate, have provided us with access to safe drinking water. Trócaire works through its local partner organisation Programme Nourriture d’Abord (PNA) in Djugu. PNA came to our village and took the time to understand our situation and let us be involved in the solutions. I was able to attend hygiene and sanitation awareness sessions with the community.
With St. Martin Apostolate’s support, our lives have been transformed. The health and safety risks for women and their children have decreased and the prevalence of life-threatening water-borne diseases, especially among children have lessened