Dóchas

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Dóchas (English: "hope") is the network of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) involved in development and relief overseas and development education in Ireland. Formed in 1974, Dóchas is an umbrella group for a diverse range of organisations - large and small, young and old, secular or faith-based – that share their commitment to tackle poverty and inequality in the world. Through Dóchas, Irish NGOs work together on issues that are done better together than alone. Dóchas provides a space for NGOs to come together and exchange their experiences, and to use those experiences to come up with more effective ways to end all forms of poverty and injustice. Dóchas is the Irish member of CONCORD.

Republic of Ireland Ireland, a country in north-western Europe, occupying 5/6 of the island of Ireland; succeeded the Irish Free State (1937)

Ireland, also known as the Republic of Ireland, is a country in north-western Europe occupying 26 of 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, which is located on the eastern part of the island, and whose metropolitan area is home to around a third of the country's over 4.8 million inhabitants. The sovereign state shares its only land border with Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom. It is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the Celtic Sea to the south, St George's Channel to the south-east, and the Irish Sea to the east. It is a unitary, parliamentary republic. The legislature, the Oireachtas, consists of a lower house, Dáil Éireann, an upper house, Seanad Éireann, and an elected President who serves as the largely ceremonial head of state, but with some important powers and duties. The head of government is the Taoiseach, who is elected by the Dáil and appointed by the President; the Taoiseach in turn appoints other government ministers.

CONCORD organization

CONCORD is the European NGO confederation for Relief and Development. It was founded in 2003 and is the main NGO interlocutor with the EU institutions on development policy. As of 2011 it has 28 national associations, 18 international networks and 2 associate member representing 1,800 NGOs which are supported by millions of citizens across Europe. Its members are national NGO platforms and international NGO networks. Its secretariat is based in Brussels.

Vision

Dóchas's vision is of a world where poverty and inequality are unacceptable, and where every person has the right to live free from fear, free from want, and able to fulfil their potential.

Poverty state of one who lacks a certain amount of material possessions or money

Poverty is the scarcity or the lack of a certain (variant) amount of material possessions or money. Poverty is a multifaceted concept, which may include social, economic, and political elements. Absolute poverty, extreme poverty, or destitution refers to the complete lack of the means necessary to meet basic personal needs such as food, clothing and shelter.

Freedom from fear one of the fundamental human rights

Freedom from fear is listed as a fundamental human right according to The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. On January 6, 1941, United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt called it one of the "Four Freedoms" at his State of the Union, which was afterwards therefore referred to as the "Four Freedoms Speech."

Purpose

The purpose of Dóchas is to enhance Ireland's contribution to world development. It achieves this by: leading the Development sector towards high standards of practice and being an independent representative voice of Ireland's Development sector, in order to influence public debate and decision-making in Ireland and the European Union.

Mission

Dóchas is part of a movement working to build a society, in Ireland and in Europe, that actively seeks to eradicate global poverty, injustice and inequality.

People

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