A women’s bicycle race in northern Burkina Faso to celebrate International Women’s Day.
Christian Aid Ireland is here to help end poverty, injustice, inequality and violence in some of the poorest countries across the world.
We are an international development agency founded by the Protestant churches of Britain and Ireland. Christian Aid Ireland is a separate independent entity within the wider Christian Aid family, sharing the same vision and values. Our work is based on our Christian belief that everyone is created in the image of God and deserves to live a full life.
We tackle both the symptoms and root causes of poverty and injustice, challenging the systems and structures that keep people poor, powerless, marginalised and vulnerable.
We support people of all faiths and none, and work with local partner organisations in nearly 30 countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Eastern Europe. Over two thirds of the countries we work in are affected by conflict.
We are a global movement of people, churches and local partner organisations who passionately champion dignity, equality and justice worldwide. We are the change makers, the peacemakers, the mighty of heart.
We believe in working in partnership with local organisations in some of the world’s poorest countries to support communities to achieve positive and sustainable change.
We are committed to mutual respect, mutual learning and acting in solidarity with each other to make a lasting improvement on people’s lives.
We believe in listening, sharing knowledge and resources, being humble and accountable, valuing diverse opinions and treating everyone with dignity and respect.
Everyone who works for Christian Aid Ireland shares in the commitment to our vision of ending poverty, injustice, inequality and violence.
We follow the example of Jesus, who lived his life breaking down barriers, unafraid of challenging and confronting difficult issues and standing with the marginalised. Following this example, we believe in standing with the poor and oppressed even when it may be unpopular.
Kokoli Aulia lives in Satkhira, southwest Bangladesh, which was badly affected by the devastating impact of Cyclone Bulbul in 2019. Kokoli received training in crab farming and cash support from Christian Aid’s local partner Nowabenki Gonomukhi Foundation (NGF). She now runs a crab farm herself with support from her husband.
Janet Zirugo displays the variety of grains grown on her family farm. Janet lives in Mashonaland East province, an area of Zimbabwe that has faced extended dry spells in recent years. A Christian Aid-led project helped farmers like Janet diversify their crops to include drought-resistant grains, so they are better able to withstand extreme weather conditions made worse by the climate crisis.
Credit: David Brazier/Christian Aid
Everyone lives in dignity, free from poverty, injustice, inequality and violence. Global resources are shared fairly and used sustainably.
The voices of those living in poverty and crisis are amplified so their stories are heard and their struggles championed.
Love is our cornerstone. We are motivated to love and care for people and the planet by standing together with those who struggle against poverty, injustice, inequality and violence.
We believe every person is of equal value and should have the opportunity to reach their potential.
We are committed to challenging the structures and systems that keep people poor.
Everyone has the right to be treated
equally and live a full life.
We work with integrity and humility, always listening and striving to do better.
Our work is driven by our Christian faith, vision and values. It is framed around these core pillars:
Poverty is more than the absence of basic needs, it’s also the absence of control, opportunity and the ability to live a full life.
We tackle the root causes of why people are living a life of poverty, injustice and inequality as well as facing violence. We hold those in power to account.
We stand in solidarity with the communities we work in and speak out against injustice wherever we see it. We use our voice and amplify the voices of the people we work with to challenge the systems and structures that keep people poor and oppressed.
We work together with local partner organisations, churches and communities to listen, learn, share and exchange knowledge and resources. We work with coalitions in Ireland to highlight injustices and encourage those in power to act and respond. We mobilise churches and supporters to respond to the injustices and oppression faced by those living in poverty through giving, acting and praying.
When we look at the world around us, we are heartbroken and angry – we see the injustice and inequality that persists and recognise that we all have a part to play to create a fairer world.
Our Christian faith calls us to reimagine what the world could look like. And moved with conviction, we strive to bring that vision about, inviting people across Ireland to be part of this movement for justice.
‘Faith can give us wisdom to ask about the causes of suffering and how to address them. Faith can give us hope to imagine a world where all God’s children shall live in safety, where love has no borders and no bounds’
Theology adviser, Christian Aid
Resources are shared fairly, and everyone can live a full life free from poverty and inequality. We recognise the fundamental injustice at the heart of our current global economic model, which results in scarcity for the many and unimaginable wealth for the few. Poverty is political – it is not an accident, rather the result of greed-driven human structures and systems. We cannot continue to place the market at the centre of all human interaction, measuring progress with a narrow vision of vastly unequal economic growth. We will tackle this imbalance in power and build an economic system that works for all people, not the other way around.
Our climate and environment are protected, and we live sustainably. Decades of fossil fuel use and pollution have delivered a climate crisis that is growing and unequal – impacting first and foremost those who have done least to cause it and have the least resources to protect themselves from its impact. We will ensure urgent action founded on principles of global justice and Christian stewardship, to ensure emissions fall, sustainable livelihoods grow, and the burden of taking action is shared fairly. We will work to restore God’s earth, respecting and shepherding the planet for current and future generations.
Peace is sustained and global problems are tackled through diplomacy, cooperation and development - not war and the building up of weapons or armed forces. In recent decades, conflict and displacement have grown in scale and duration, impacting disproportionately on women, girls and the most vulnerable in society. We will work to build peace and prevent conflict, ensuring women’s voices are heard, address the root causes of conflict, and also move beyond the failed contention that ‘might is right’ to a world based on human rights and international cooperation.
When disaster strikes, no one is left behind. The climate crisis is already threatening the lives and livelihoods of millions of people, and driving increased risk of poverty, humanitarian disaster and conflict. In a just world, our collective response in times of crisis will be rapid, effective and reach those most in need. We will work with governments, local partner organisations, churches, and individuals of all faiths and none to ensure effective and efficient lifesaving humanitarian responses.
Vibrant people-led movements shape the world around them. We believe in the need to shift power and resources from richer countries to lower-income countries, and to promote policies and practices that allow the poor and marginalised control of their own finances, livelihoods and futures. We will ensure that the most vulnerable people we support are better able to afford the basic daily needs of their families through projects that help boost their incomes as well as equip them with the skills and tools needed to maintain a sustainable livelihood. We will build solidarity between churches, communities and campaigners in every corner of the world, holding decisionmakers accountable to shared principles of justice, equality and dignity. We will amplify the voices of those living in poverty and crisis.
Human rights are defended. We reject intolerance and the arbitrary limits placed on people’s freedom. We will work to build inclusive, fair societies where people are free to be themselves, and are free from violence, threats or discrimination. In particular, we will strive to ensure women and girls can take their rightful place as leaders. We will also stand with communities and human rights defenders who speak out against injustice.
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We will challenge structures where men hold all the power and women are largely excluded. We will work to ensure all people, regardless of identity, are valued as equal and can participate fully in society.
We know this vision is ambitious, and we are impatient to see change.
We are determined to continue building a movement of people and organisations that will boldly speak against injustice and call for change and amplify the voices of those living in poverty and crisis. We will reach out to others – our partners and supporters across the world –joining in solidarity to create a stronger and more courageous voice together.
Our prophetic voice is ultimately a message of hope – hope of a healed and just world.
We believe our Christian faith asks us to reimagine the world to benefit everyone and to act upon our vision in practical ways to make it a reality.
1Amplifying the voices of those living in poverty and crisis in the countries we work in, we will mobilise individuals, churches, coalitions and other organisations to work with us for the world we want to see.
We will deepen and nurture our relationships with churches across Ireland and their congregations to expose the issues of injustice and inequality, to further understand the depth and complexity of these issues and to respond together as Christians.
We will invest in growing our supporter base so that more people in Ireland hear the voices of those living in poverty and crisis and are given the opportunity to join the movement.
We will grow our income, inspiring donors to give generously, from individual supporters to trusts, churches and institutions, to ensure that our vision is funded both now and in the future.
We will continue building a movement of individuals, churches, schools and groups to speak up for justice, to influence change and to hold those in power to account for the decisions they make.
We will galvanise a network of volunteers who give of their time and their talents to fundraise and champion Christian Aid Ireland in their churches and communities, raising funds, growing support for our campaigns and inviting people to pray with us.
Faithfully telling the stories of those living in poverty and crisis, we will deepen public awareness and understanding of our unequal world and help them to explore how they can act as global citizens to build a better world.
We will move people to pray and act in solidarity with those living in poverty, connecting us as global neighbours.
We will work in solidarity with our partners to address the root causes and symptoms of poverty and meet the needs of marginalised people and communities in crises and conflict. We will bring together our life-saving humanitarian work, longer term development programmes and peacebuilding efforts to better support people living in crisis situations.
We will provide life-saving emergency support in times of crises that people can access safely and with dignity.
We will shift power to local communities so that they are better prepared to prevent, adapt to and respond to crises and conflict.
We will build alliances to shift government policy in Ireland and globally, amplifying the voices of those worst affected by crises, violence and injustice.
We will influence donors to provide flexible funding to locally-led humanitarian, development and peacebuilding initiatives.
We will meaningfully involve women, youth and marginalised people in peacebuilding and conflict prevention processes.
We will support people to demand their basic rights such as access to land and essential services like healthcare, as well as freedom of speech and assembly.
We will promote human rights and access to justice, calling for laws that promote equality and protect human rights defenders.
We will work in solidarity with our partners to challenge injustice so that everyone, especially women and girls and those discriminated against because of their identity, can live a full life.
We will promote and protect the efforts of our partners, human rights defenders, and activists to bring an end to discrimination regardless of identity.
We will strengthen the protection of vulnerable women, girls and other atrisk groups. We will seek out and partner with feminist and minority-led organisations to bring about gender equality in laws, policies and systems and increase women’s participation in society and opportunities for leadership.
We will build alliances and links with organisations, politicians and the public to highlight issues that impact women and girls and amplify the experiences of the communities we support.
We will use our expertise to support and strengthen partners to reduce and respond to violence against women, girls and other at-risk groups, tackling harmful attitudes and behaviours.
We will strive to ‘Leave No One Behind’, ensuring that everyone regardless of their identity, including gender, age, race, religion, caste, ethnicity, sexual orientation, social status, or disability, is treated fairly, can claim their basic rights and have the opportunity to live a full life.
We will identify, challenge and change the systems and structures that keep people in poverty, tackling imbalances in power and ensuring the world’s resources are shared fairly and sustainably.
We will produce timely, thorough and impactful research and analysis, working with local partner organisations to highlight injustice, isolate its causes and raise awareness of the action needed to end it.
We will stand with communities and local partner organisations around the world opposing injustice, taking action together and campaigning together to ensure respect for human rights and international law.
We will demand faster, fairer climate action, ensuring wealthy, high-emitting countries step up and deliver their fair share of the global effort needed; fulfilling our international obligations reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing support for the most vulnerable, and preventing irreversible climate change.
We will inform and challenge political leaders to take action, advocating for changes in laws and policies at governmental, EU and UN levels, holding those in power to account.
We will demand a more just economic system, where power and resources are shifted from a small number of extraordinarily wealthy countries and companies to individuals and communities who have been excluded; and push for fairer global rules in tax, finance and corporate accountability.
As a Christian organisation we are inspired by the promise of a world where everyone can enjoy a full life. We are impatient and determined to play our part in achieving sustainable change that benefits all. That means we have to be receptive and open to change too, to be willing to learn from those who have faced discrimination and to be inclusive in how we work and what we do.
• Providing more sustained financial support to our local partner organisations – such as paying for overheads and core costs – so that they can achieve the changes they seek to make in their communities.
• Acting in solidarity with local partner organisations, communities, churches, coalitions and individuals to encourage and inspire each other.
• Deepening our understanding of how our own power shapes our partnerships.
• Learning from the expertise of our local partner organisations and the first-hand experiences of the communities we work with.
• Reducing the influence of donors and international organisations in deciding the ‘right’ aid response. We will instead champion the wishes and preferences of the people we work with.
• Enhancing the quality of our programmes to meet the needs and priorities of communities we support and the local partner organisations we work with.
• Deepening our ability to listen to the communities we support and our local partner organisations.
• Adapting our work to changing contexts and the needs of the communities we support and working with our local partner organisations to continuously make improvements to our work.
• Actively seeking to learn about emerging good practices from communities, local partner organisations, other external organisations, movements, and from research.
• Deepening our engagement with the churches in Ireland and our understanding of Christian teaching to expose, explore and respond to the issues of injustice and inequality.
• Being a diverse, welcoming, inclusive and safe place to work regardless of race, ethnicity, faith, disability, social background or sexual orientation.
• Ensuring our values of love, dignity, justice, equality and integrity are lived out through all aspects of our work.
• Growing and diversifying our income, including through the European Union and the United Nations, so we can continue to work where the need is greatest.
• Being accountable to our donors, supporters and the communities we work with by managing our resources and delivering our work effectively and efficiently and minimising our footprint on this fragile earth.
Our operational plans will make this strategy a reality. Monitoring of our work will help us learn whether our strategy is effective, help us to adapt as needed and keep us accountable to the communities we work with, our supporters, local partner organisations and donors.
We cannot end poverty, injustice, inequality and violence on our own. But we can achieve more success with the support, knowledge and experience of many others. They include local partner organisations, the churches who helped set up Christian Aid many years ago, volunteers, supporters, Board members, coalitions and most importantly the communities we work with.
Employees – people in Ireland and around the world who help make positive change happen – our community officers, fundraisers, lobbyists, experts, project managers and more.
Local partner organisations – these are the people who implement the projects in the countries we work in and are best equipped to work with local communities. We work together sharing knowledge, resources and expertise.
People living in poverty and facing injustice – these are the people who share their stories with us about the challenges and hardships they experience. They are the people who work with us and our local partner organisations to find effective ways to tackle the injustices they face.
Churches – we were founded by the Protestant churches in Britain and Ireland and we continue to work together to fundraise, campaign, lobby, pray and stand in solidarity with those who are marginalised and vulnerable.
Volunteers – our committed volunteers are a core part of Christian Aid Ireland. They help us run events, speak out, raise money and pray on behalf of communities in need.
Wider Christian Aid – we are part of the Christian Aid family, with over 75 years of experience responding to humanitarian crises and working to end poverty.
Supporters – we could not do the work we do without the help of our loyal supporters who give generously and speak out against the injustices of poverty and inequality.Board membersfrom across Ireland including representatives from our churches and experts.
Christian Aid’s work began in 1945, when we were founded by British and Irish churches to offer very practical help to refugees following the Second World War.
We fed hungry people during the Ethiopian famine and those experiencing drought in Mozambique. We created the Southern African Coalition to demand an end to apartheid.
We drew a link between educating supporters at home about the root causes of poverty and working with organisations internationally to eradicate it. We popularised world development issues by providing seed money to establish the New Internationalist magazine.
We launched Christian Aid Week to raise extra funds. We continued helping refugees in mainland Europe as well as those from Palestine, Korea and China. We set up and ran Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) to enable young people to make a difference and offered help to churches in countries moving from colonialism to independence.
We made a difference in crises affecting Biafra, Kenya and India. We helped set up the World Development Movement to encourage political campaigning. We addressed racism and poverty in the United States as well as advising Martin Luther King while he was in the UK.
We linked work in 50 poor countries to campaigns on developing world debt, fair trade and the policies of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. We challenged the stigma and discrimination faced by people living with HIV in Africa. We stood up for and provided food for refugees in Kosovo.
We campaigned to make poverty history. We reached more than 500,000 people with food, shelter and healthcare after the Asian tsunami. We publicised the fact that developing countries lose more money through the tax evasion practices of large corporations than they receive through official aid. We became a member of ACT Alliance, made up of 140 faith-based member organisations working in long-term development, advocacy and humanitarian assistance.
We will continue to work for the world we want to see – a world
where everyone can live a life of dignity, free from poverty, injustice, inequality and violence.
We became an autonomous legal entity in Ireland with a CEO accountable to an independent board, consisting of representatives of our sponsoring churches as well as technical experts. We remain connected to the wider Christian Aid family sharing the same vision and values.
We campaigned against climate change and championed tax justice. In Northern Ireland we chaired the IF campaign to build awareness of the link between global hunger and the structural causes of poverty. We continued to work with local partner organisations to make a practical difference to the lives of new waves of refugees while campaigning and advocating for change across the world.
What we plan to do
Mobilise people to take action
Build peaceful, just and inclusive societies by bringing our humanitarian, development and peacebuilding work together
We would love you to be part of our movement for ending poverty, injustice, inequality and violence. You can:
Give Donate as and when you can. There is power in your pocket! Giving financially is a wonderful way to partner with fragile communities around the world. Those who commit to giving regularly form the backbone of what we do, enabling us to plan ahead and respond quickly and flexibly.
Use your voice, networks and connections to take action through volunteering, campaigning and lobbying those of influence. Sign up to receive our emails to ensure you receive urgent news and actions throughout the year.
Prayer is vital in all we do! Pray for us, our partners and supporters and the communities we work with.
christianaid.ie @christianaidireland @christianaidirl @christianaidirl
Christian Aid Ireland works in some of the poorest countries in the world to tackle the causes and consequences of poverty and injustice. We are key part of ACT Alliance, the worldwide ecumenical network for emergency relief. Christian Aid Ireland: NI charity no. NIC101631 Company no. NI059154 and ROI charity no. 20014162 Company no. 426928. The Christian Aid name and logo are trademarks of Christian Aid.