Children all over the world are being denied an education because of the effects of the climate crisis, says Trócaire as it launched its annual Trócaire Box appeal for Lent in Galway.
More than 242 million students in 85 countries had their schooling disrupted by extreme climate events in 2024.
These included heatwaves, tropical cyclones, storms, floods and droughts, exacerbating an existing learning challenge in developing countries where children already face barriers to education.
Caoimhe de Barra, Trócaire’s CEO, says this issue is having a profoundly negative impact on children’s futures. “The communities and families we work with are increasingly affected by erratic weather patterns caused by climate change.”
“The deep injustice of this is that those who have done least to cause the climate crisis, and who have the least capacity to absorb and recover from its impact, or adapt in response, are suffering most severely from its impacts.”
“As many of these rural communities rely on growing and selling crops to earn an income, the loss of livelihood has knock-on effects for families. This is why we are urging the people of Co. Galway to support the Trócaire Box appeal this Lent.”
In 2023/24 Trócaire supported 2.2 million people across 20 countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East.
Trócaire’s climate and environmental justice work supported 288,200 people in countries including Guatemala, Honduras, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Malawi, Rwanda, Zimbabwe and Syria.
“Climate disasters disproportionately harm young girls’ education. 12-year-old Miriam from Guatemala, Central America, features on this year’s Trócaire Box with her family. Her mother and father, Ilma and Julio, grow cardamon and corn to earn money for the family.”
“They used to plant crops twice a year but now only plant once because of the extreme weather conditions. A drought devastated their crops which meant they had no income.”
“Miriam was due to go to secondary school, an hours drive away, but her parents now cannot afford the €5 a week for the bus that would take her there,” said Caoimhe de Barra.
“In developing countries, storms and droughts are wiping out livelihoods and often mean that children have to leave school permanently so they can work to help support their families. Countries where people are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change are also regions where children already receive fewer years of schooling. The effects of climate change have had a disproportionate and disastrous impact on children’s education in some of the world’s most fragile countries.”
Climate change could push up to 130 million people into extreme poverty by the end of the decade, Trócaire has warned, wiping out gains made in developing lower-income countries.
The charity is supporting marginalised rural communities in less developed countries to not only sustain their livelihoods but to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
“This Lent we are asking the people of Galway to help us support communities like Miriam’s as they mitigate and adapt to the effects of the climate crisis so that they can continue farming, protect their homes from flooding, make a fair living from their crops, send their children to school and become more resilient,” said Caoimhe.
The iconic Trócaire Box – which has been synonymous with Lent in Ireland for over 50 years – has been distributed to thousands of homes, schools and churches across Co. Galway. Donations can also be made online at trocaire.org or by calling 1800 408 408.
