#1
We work in the hardest-to-reach places. Why? Because that’s where you’ll find the people most in need. Communities battered by climate, conflict, and neglect. Families living on the edge of survival. Men, women, and children clinging to hope.
Concern staff help get a stranded Land Cruiser back on track in Tanzania. Photo: Kieran McConville
#2
We’re very versatile. Agriculture, education, emergency response, health, livelihoods, nutrition, sanitation, water — we do all of this, and more. And quite often we do them all in one place, knowing from experience that an integrated approach can be the best way to help end extreme poverty.
Ali Assen Ali, with two of his daughters, on their farm 12,000 feet up in the highlands of Ethiopia, where they grow Irish potatoes. Photo: Kieran McConville
#3
We’re Irish. At least, our roots are in Ireland, but we’ve been in the U.S. for 25 years and our branches have reached right out across the globe to Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. There’s a certain can-do, dogged resourcefulness that comes with our the DNA — and that has infused our team. Today, there are dozens of nationalities represented in the Concern family, but every one of our colleagues has a “rub of the green.” (It also means we’re tight with the pennies… wasting money is not in our genes.)
Nellie Kingston from County Cork travels by dugout canoe through a swamp in South Sudan. Photo: Kieran McConville
#4
We’ve been around the block more than a few times. Concern was founded in 1968 in response to a famine in West Africa, and since then we have had operations in over 50 different countries. The experiences of decades continue to inform what we do, every day.
A relief flight for Biafra takes off from the African island of Sao Tomé in 1968. Photo: Peter Williams
#5
We’re more than just an organization. Anyone who has worked for Concern will tell you there’s something special that binds us together, making the sum greater than the parts. Many of our former colleagues still consider themselves to be part of Concern, and many continue to actively support our work.
Professor Keith West, former Concern volunteer, playing for ex-colleagues at a Concern reunion in 2018. Photo: Kieran McConville
Find out more…
There’s lots of evidence all over this website of how your support benefits the world’s poorest people — feel free to rummage around! Oh, and don’t forget to follow our social media channels for the latest updates from around the world.
