TDs and Senators Head to Africa and Asia as VSO Volunteers

19/08/2010 13:05:00

In August and September a group of Irish TDs and Senators are flying out to Africa and Asia to serve as VSO volunteers.

Minister of State Dara Calleary of Fianna Fáil; Fine Gael TD Lucinda Creighton; Labour Party Senator Dominic Hannigan and Independent Senator Fiona O’Malley are participating in VSO’s ‘Politicians for Development Programme’ in which Irish parliamentarians volunteer during the Dail and Seanad summer recess.

Deputy Calleary, who is a Minister of State, will travel to Mozambique where he will meet people living with HIV and Aids and their carers, and liase with Mozambican parliamentarians.

Senator Dominic Hannigan is heading for Kathmandu to work with the Blue Diamond Society, the only organisation in Nepal for sexual minorities.

Deputy Lucinda Creighton will be flying to Uganda where she will work with an alliance of volunteering organisations and liase with parliamentarians on ways to promote volunteering in their country.

Senator Fiona O’Malley is bound for the Republic of Tajikistan in Central Asia where she’ll be working with the State Committee fo r Y outh, Tourism and Sport in Penjikent.

Minister of State for Overseas Development, Peter Power TD commented that his fellow parliamentarians were building on Ireland’s proud volunteering tradition.

“They will have the opportunity to see both the scale of global development challenges and opportunities for real change”, said the Minister.

The parliamentarians hope to highlight the importance of volunteering upon their return to Ireland.

Contact Deirdre.finlay@vso.ie for further information.

Editor's notes

Photos on VSO Ireland facebook page: http://bit.ly/aWlATx