World Humanitarian Day

This Sunday marks World Humanitarian Day, a global day to celebrate humanity and the spirit of people helping people.

Did you know that Ireland is one of the most generous countries in the world when it comes to helping others?

According to the UK-based Charities Aid Foundation, Ireland is the most charitable country in Europe and the second most charitable nation in the world.

Every year, Irish people donate millions of euro to help people caught up in disasters around the world. From Haiti, to Pakistan, to Somalia, recent years have shown how Irish people value helping others who have lost everything due to natural disaster.

To mark World Humanitarian Day, we have compiled a selection of photographs from Trócaire projects, all of which are funded by your generosity. These projects, and others like them, have touched the lives of millions of people around the world – saving lives, improving communities and giving people the tools they need to help themselves.

If you believe we should be proud of our impact on communities in the developing world, ‘like’ this page to share this gallery with your friends.

Kenya

Moses Kinyua (12) from the village of Ruungu, close to Meru in the Tharaka District. People in this district were very badly affected by the drought of last summer, which left millions of people across Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia facing hunger and famine. Irish people donated an incredible €10.3m to Trócaire, money which was used to bring life-saving help to over 400,000 people in the region, including many in the Tharaka District. Photo: Eoghan Rice / Trócaire.

Haiti

Following the devastating earthquake in Haiti, Trócaire used donations from the Irish public to fund the building of 1,500 houses and the repair of a further 1,500. Trócaire also funded a wide range of health, education and emergency relief programmes in the country. Photo: Eoghan Rice / Trócaire.

Malawi

Building a water reservoir in preparation for drought. Chikwawahas been hit by drought and inconsistent rainfall. This community in Nyambio village is being helped by Trócaire partner CADECOM to cope better with drought, growing more drought resistant crops and conserving water as seen in the building of this water reservoir. Photo: Alan Whelan / Trócaire.

Pakistan

Flooding in the summer of 2010 left millions of people across Pakistan homeless. Thanks to the generosity of the Irish public, Trócaire helped to rescue 20,000 people from the floods and provide emergency relief to over 135,000 people. Photo: Luca Tommasini / Trócaire.

Sudan

Trocaire has been leading a humanitarian response in the Nuba Mountains, delivering life-saving emergency aid to innocent people caught up in fighting. This photo shows Trócaire’s Donough Ryan with some of the children in the Yida refugee camp in South Sudan. Photo: Maurice McQuillan / Trócaire

Palestine

Marium Eum Imal, a farmer in the Jordan Valley. Her family are one of the last remaining Palestinian families in their area. The rest have been driven off the land by intimidation, demolitions and the diversion of the water supply. Photo: Alan Whelan / Trócaire.

Uganda

In 2004 the rural village of Barlonyo was attacked by a rebels in one of the last atrocities of the civil war, which ripped through northern Uganda for over 20 years. Over 300 people were murdered in the attack. Since 2006, as a community Bar Kawach has been supported not only to rebuild their farms, but to rebuild their lives. The community has been given regular training on everything from agriculture, healthcare and sanitation to domestic violence, human rights and family communications. Photo: Alan Whelan / Trócaire.

You can find out more about World Humanitarian Day on the website  www.whd-iwashere.org.