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Northside aid worker singled out for praise

Wednesday, 24 September 2008

A YOUNG Northsider has been held up as an example of the real difference Irish volunteers can make across the globe. Shane Keenan from Clontarf has been living and working as a United Nations child protection worker in Tanzania as part of an innovative programme to provide Irish people with experience in overseas development. The programme, which is funded Irish Aid, allows recent graduates the chance to work with a UN development agency as a field project officer. Shane explained how by volunteering with UNICEF (the UN Children’s Fund) in Zanzibar, Tanzania he has been gaining valuable experience as a child protection officer. “My job largely involves working with government and other partners on initiatives to promote child protection,” he told Northside People. “I am currently working with the government and attorney general’s office on drafting a children’s bill that will promote and protect the rights of children in Zanzibar. “I also work with the Department of Social Welfare on analysing the situation of the most vulnerable children in Zanzibar. This feeds into the development of national policy and a national action plan.” A typical day for Shane begins at 7.30am and involves working from his office, attending meetings, workshops and consultations and travelling to the UNICEF head office in Dar es Salaam, mainland Tanzania. Shane says working with the Tanzanian authorities can be challenging at times but he believes that cooperating with the authorities on the ground is critical to achieving lasting development. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Michael Martin TD has highlighted the fact that last year the Government, through the Irish Aid programme, spent e870 million tackling poverty in some of the world’s poorest countries. This support is set to rise over the coming years as Ireland works towards the UN target of spending 0.7 per cent of GNP on overseas aid. “Shane is one of 42 volunteers to have gained experience under the Irish Aid-backed UN Volunteer (UNV) Internship programme since 2006,” the minister explained. “The interns live and work in a developing country for a period of one year. Previous volunteers have worked with UN agencies in Africa, Latin America and Asia. “The purpose of the programme is to help develop the next generation of Irish development specialists.” He added: “Volunteering can make a real difference to the lives of people in developing countries and our experience is that most volunteers get at least as much out of the experience as they put in.” Over 18,000 people have visited the Irish Aid Volunteering and Information Centre since it opened on Dublin’s O’Connell Street in January of this year. The centre has information on Ireland’s overseas aid and opportunities for those interested in volunteering.