Irish firms 'must give more to charity'

Monsignor Gregory Ramkissoon and Leslie Buckley, chairman of INM, at the Mustard Seed charity lunch in the Mansion House, Dublin. Picture: Mark Condren

Independent.ie Newsdesk

The founder of a charity which rescues and provides shelter for thousands of abandoned children across the Caribbean and Africa has called on Irish businesses to match the public by donating generously to needy charities worldwide.

"The Irish are known across the globe for their generosity in helping the world's poorest and most marginalised but corporate Ireland is not living up to the lead of the people on the street," said Monsignor Gregory Ramkissoon of Mustard Seed Communities at a fund-raising event held in Dublin's Mansion House yesterday.

The conference also heard from keynote speaker Leslie Buckley, chairman of Independent News and Media, who said 65pc of Irish businesses didn't give to any charity on a regular basis.

"Research shows that the average Irish company gives to charity just one-twelfth of the amount the average British company contributes, so the opportunity for Ireland, on a corporate level, to do so much better is obvious," added Mr Buckley, who also runs the Haven charity in Haiti with his wife Carmel.

Mustard Seed Communities, established in 1978, provides shelter, care and education for children with special needs in Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Haiti and, since 2002, in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The conference heard that "hope was the final frontier of human existence".

÷See today's Weekend Review for a feature on the work of the Mustard Seeds Communities Charity.

Graham Clifford