About Us: CHY No: 16858 CRA Number: 20061685
“Our World – Our Responsibility”
TOUCH Ireland’s focus is on vulnerable children in “Our World”. We use the term “Our World” as opposed to “Third World” or “Developing World”. We feel this terminology allows people to believe that the problem is not ours and therefore not our responsibility. But we feel that if everyone does something regardless of what level they are at then we can significantly help these children. We don’t think we are going to change the world but even if we help only one child then it has to be worth our effort.
The ethos of TOUCH Ireland
is simple in that all children have a right to food, shelter, medication and education. This is the principle we work with and we feel a huge responsibility to do the best we can. All funds raised from the general public go directly to source and this is very important to our groups and ourselves as we understand this is what the people would like to see. Voluntary members of TOUCH Ireland travels to our projects at least once a year, this at their own expense to ensure that all funds are being put to good use.
How “TOUCH” Operates
TOUCH Ireland was launched in July 2003. We are trying to be different in that all the money we raise for our projects goes directly to our projects. How many times have you asked yourself when you give a donation to a charity how much of it goes to the actual project and how much goes to administration or other costs. This means that we pay no salaries and try to support our running cost and our office through company sponsorship. This allows for all financial donations made by the general public and grants from other groups to go directly to our projects where they want the full benefit of their donations to go.
We have set up groups of people voluntarily fund raising for TOUCH Ireland projects.
Each TOUCH Ireland Group has its own Bank Account. A Central Group (TOUCH Executive Board) coordinates and oversees the administration, financial and progress of all Groups and projects. This is monitored by the TOUCH Director.
Our groups are of everyday people coming together and linking into our projects, this allows a connection to evolve between them and the people benefiting from our support.
We now have over 120 projects in Zambia, Cameroon, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Brazil and Bangladesh.
Working with “Our World” Communities
We work in consultation with local communities and organisations on the ground in our area of operation to identify their needs and future projects.
The Aim Of TOUCH
The aim of TOUCH through its projects is primarily to keep people alive and instill hope for the future through education. It is always our intention that communities do not become reliant on us. They are encouraged and supported to provide for their own community when they are in a position to do so. Local people in their own country manage all projects. At all times their ideals, culture and customs are respected.
How “TOUCH Ireland” came about
We set up in 1998 to help a Cheshire centre for orphaned children in Kaoma, Zambia with the aim of acquiring medical supplies, food, clothing, and anything else we could send. In particular baby milk and baby food was requested as these were in very short supply and the centre was in financial difficulty.
In 1999 we sent a 40ft. Container to Kaoma to support this project. We travelled to Zambia to visit the centre and see what more we could do to help; this was the beginning of what is now TOUCH Ireland.
Since then TOUCH Ireland has been involved in starting projects or supporting existing ones, all related to vulnerable children. We now support projects in Zambia, Cameroon, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Brazil, Bangladesh and recently in Uganda
We also send Aid Containers to the projects to support the endeavours of the local people running these projects.
To touch satisfies a basic human need in all of us and sends a message of care, understanding, support, love, healing and communication. To touch increases our awareness of our own resources and the needs of others.
Phone: 00-353-45-874889 (W) or 00-353-86-3260948 (M).
Email: seamus@touchireland.ie
