Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

Chris Flood keeps me informed on what is being done in this area.

The people of Africa are not just looking for a hand out, they want an opportunity to do something positive for themselves. As a nation, it is not too long ago that we had our own experience of famine. In our present prosperity, it is important that it remains in our memory so that we can empathise with the desperate plight in which some of these people find themselves. It is very important to continue at this level to make the case for aid for Africa. Like others of my generation, I brought a penny to school every single day for Africa though I was not sure in those days exactly what I was doing. From my little experience, especially in Ethiopia recently, it seems nothing has really changed. I commend the work of Irish aid organisations which, as I have seen on the ground, do a tremendous job.

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