By Stephen Donnelly
Would it surprise you to hear that Ireland is ranked as the ‘goodest’ country on earth? Not if you saw how the people of Wicklow responded in recent weeks to the refugee appeal – which was nothing short of amazing.
The Good Country Index gives scores to each country in areas like science and technology, culture and planet and climate. Ireland does okay in these, but the reason we’re deemed to be the ‘goodest’ is our number one ranking in Prosperity and Equality. This looks at how each country interacts with other less stable and less prosperous parts of the world.
We’re all becoming increasingly aware of the refugee crisis – instability in parts of the Middle East is causing devastating hardship for millions of men, women and children. Many of us have seen the image of Aylan Kurdi, a three-year-old toddler, washed up on a Turkish beach. No one who has seen it will ever forget it. Aylan was one of at least 12 Syrians who died when their boat sank in an attempt to reach Greece. They were fleeing heavy fighting between Islamic State militants and Kurdish forces.
The refugee situation has become the largest migration of peoples since the Second World War. And one place these refugees end up is the port town of Calais in Northern France. About 3,000 people are living in makeshift camps near the town as they attempt to enter the United Kingdom. There has been an international outcry calling for aid to be sent to alleviate the suffering faced by those on the ground.
In response to this call, groups have set up around Ireland, collecting provisions for refugees in Calais, and further afield, including Syria. One such group is the South Dublin/Wicklow Calais Refugee Solidarity Group, set up recently by Isolde Heavey. Collection points sprang up across the county, and the people of Wicklow have responded with generosity, compassion and solidarity.
Stephen Donnelly TD and Cllr Jennifer Whitmore sorting through donations at their Greystones office earlier this month
We opened my office in Greystones as one such collection point, and within hours started to run out of room to walk around. Initial estimates were that it would take three weeks to fill a 40-foot container with the aid received. Before the end of the week one,that capacity was already taken. Volunteers got involved – in carrying, sorting and transporting. My office alone had over 30 volunteers working on a rota, with many more offering to help.
One 10-year-old girl, Ellie, saw the photo of Aylan Kurdi, and heard about the collection for the refugees. She asked her friends to bring money to her birthday instead of any presents – they did, and she went with her mum and bought new and badly needed clothes for babies. A three-year-old girl gave in her new pink wellies so that a kid in Calais, or in Syria, could have them instead. Ex-firemen and Gardai (the Gerry Walshes and others) volunteered and made a huge impact. One lady from Newtownmountkennedy offered everything from upholstery and sewing lessons to refugees when they arrived, to a playground for any children, along with accommodation. People offered up their garages, their lock-ups, their commercial premises. The Arklow Scouts opened their doors.
And Wicklow’s business community were not to be found wanting. Damien McKeever of Amphibian King in Bray donated boxes of footwear. Siobhan Hanley and the Happy Pear in Greystones did a whole lot of driving. Thorntons provided extra bin storage. Wings in Wicklow Town opened as a drop-off point, as did the Prelude Arts Centre in Bray. Tesco provided boxes, Musgraves provided bags.
If you’d like to help, Topaz garages are now accepting provisions for a Goal refugee appeal. They’re taking blankets and quilts, warm jackets (adult’s and children’s), thermal socks, hats, scarves and gloves, underwear sets, sleeping bags, plastic floor carpets, water-proof boots (adult’s and children’s), bed sheets, pillow covers and quilt covers.
If you’d like to help fund Human Appeal’s convoy to Syria, you can text GIFT2 (€2) or GIFT4 (€4) or GIFT6 (€6) to 50300 (Human Appeal is a non-profit organisation working across the globe to strengthen humanity in the face of poverty, social injustice or natural disaster).
The response of the people of Wicklow has been heart-warming. When capacity for the container for Calais was reached, Isolde joined up with Human Appeal, who are bringing supplies to women and children in Syria. In my office alone, people donated, we estimate, about six tonnes of aid – including two bags of new baby clothes and a brand new pair of pink boots. At times like this, it’s easy to see how the people of Wicklow belong to the ‘goodest’ nation on earth.
Stephen Donnelly is a TD for Wicklow and East Carlow and a joint-leader of the Social Democrats.
