A Better World is Ireland’s policy for international development. It builds on strong foundations, including the legacy of our missionaries, our volunteers and our NGOs. Through our international development programme, Ireland makes a difference in around 130 countries each year, changing people’s lives for the better. Our contribution to reducing global poverty is regularly found […]
Simon Cumbers Media Fund seeks ideas on development-focused projects from local and national journalists
The Simon Cumbers Media Fund is seeking proposals from journalists and photographers who are interested in travelling to a developing country to report for an Irish media outlet on the reality of modern life there. The summer 2019 round of the Fund is now open to local and national media professionals from all disciplines. Supported […]
Amanda Coakley in Cúcuta, Colombia
They had stormed the bridge, broken though the Venezuelan barricades. No one thought they would, but the desperation to reach Colombia proved to be too much. Hours after heavy rain pelted the streets of Cúcuta, the Táchira River rose making the illegal crossings impassable. They could not wait. They had to cross. Lives depended on […]
Hospitals, and the dead presidents they hide
Before I even get my first glimpse at the sprawling, coltish city of Lilongwe, I’m knee-deep in the roiling complexities of Malawian politics. Golden Matonga and Josephine Chinele, my driver and fixer respectively, both journalists, are rehashing the difficulties of reporting one of the troubled country’s most publicised scandals while I acclimatise to the vivid […]
Student Scheme information session in Cork
Cork-based students, we are hosting an information session for prospective applicants to the 2019 Simon Cumbers Media Fund Student Scheme at 2pm on Wednesday, 13th March in Áras na Mac Léinn, Student Centre, Main Campus, UCC, College Road, Cork. The information session will be attended by a member of the Student Scheme judging panel and former RTÉ […]
Nomad Nurses: the migration Kerala’s nurses to Ireland
I first met Jijo Sebastian more than two years ago in a coffee shop in central Dublin. A friend had recommended I speak about the decade he had spent living in Ireland for the weekly series I write for the Irish Times about new arrivals to our shores. About halfway into our conversation, Jijo, who […]
