Development Education
From its establishment in 1973, Trócaire's mandate included a requirement to raise awareness of the issues affecting people in the developing world.
At home, it will try to make us all more aware of the needs of these countries and our duties towards them. These duties are no longer a matter of charity but of simple justice - Bishops of Ireland on Development 1973.
To fulfil this mandate it was agreed that Trócaire would spend 20% of its resources on development education. This has been one of its unique and distinguishing characteristics in the development sector. It underpins the belief that unless there is public awareness of the development issues and the political will to bring about greater justice there will be little change in the relationship between rich and poor countries.
Trócaire's development education programme has targeted a range of sectors from its early beginnings to the present. Within non-formal education this has included the adult education, trade union and youth sectors. Within the formal sector it has included the Early Years, Primary and Post-Primary sectors.
Within the restructuring process that has occurred within Trócaire in recent years the Education Unit is now one of four units organised under Trócaire's Mobilising for Justice (MfJ) Programme.
The MfJ programme seeks to mobilise the public in Ireland and internationally to achieve changes in policies, programmes and behaviours which impact on poverty and injustice.
Within Trócaire's MfJ programme, the Education Unit aims to develop and implement programmes on Development Education, highlight the root causes of injustice and poverty and the role of the Irish people in building a just world. It continues to provide a number of educational resources make sense of complex issues which prevail in our ever-changing world.
