Michael D Higgins offers support for fund-raising for famine in Somalia

30 August 2011

by Cllr Joe Costello

Michael D. Higgins, Labour Party-nominated Candidate for the Office of President of Ireland, and recently-appointed Patron of the charity, Bóthar, which does excellent work for developing countries, today (30 August 2011) met a young Somali woman, Ifrah Ahmed, with some of her compatriots to offer his support for their efforts to raise funds for their fellow countrymen and women in Somalia. Ifrah Ahmed is a proud Somalian and is actively involved with the Somali community in Ireland. Representatives from the Irish Refugee Council and Labour Women were also in attendance.

In recent months, a severe drought throughout East Africa has left millions of people acutely short of food and water, resulting in the death of livestock and the erosion of livelihoods. It is estimated that over 10 million people need humanitarian assistance in Somalia and in other drought-hit countries of East Africa immediately.

Michael D. was anxious to lend his strong and personal support for the efforts of the Somali fund-raisers because, like them, he believes that the real famine hardships which the people of Somalia and East Africa are undergoing at the present time are being overshadowed by other international developments, such as in Libya.

Ifrah Ahmed and her colleagues are organising a "East African Solidarity Fundraiser" in conjunction with The Irish Refugee Council, Unicef and the UNHCR on Friday 2 September at 9 Abbey Street, Dublin 1. At their request, Michael D. Higgins was happy to sign an African Portrait which will be auctioned on Friday night as part of their important fund-raising efforts. "The people of Ireland have never been found wanting when it comes to helping people in conditions of famine, drought and in war zones.

Despite the economic difficulties of the present time, they have already shown great generosity in their donations for Somalia and the wider East Africa to the tune of some €12 million, with a further €7 million being made available for the region from the Government via Ireland Aid. However, the important message is that the needs of the people there are very great and, for this reason, I urge them to support the efforts of Ifrah Ahmed and her colleagues" Michael D. stated.

Apart from her efforts to assist her fellow countrymen and women in time of severe drought and famine, Ifrah Ahmed has been a powerful campaigner here in Ireland for many years in seeking to have the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) made illegal here. FGM is practised on grounds of religion and tradition in many countries from which our new communities in Ireland hail but, in reality, it is a barbaric practice and an attack on the person and on the human rights of young women. Ifrah Ahmed was herself subjected to FGM at age 8, and again at age 13. She came to Ireland in January 2006.

"I salute the efforts which Ifrah Ahmed and others have made to have FGM outlawed here in Ireland and I very much welcome the fact that, as a result of these efforts and the support of enlightened legislators in the Oireachtas, the Female Genital Mutilation Criminal Justice Bill is due to pass into law in the Autumn. In passing this law, the Oireachtas will be acknowledging that FGM is a human rights issue of high importance and, as President of Ireland, I would intend to maintain a strong emphasis on human rights issues throughout my term of Office" Michael D concluded.