March 8th Referendum: What you need to know

March 8th Referendum: What you need to know

March 8th Referendum: What you need to know

A photo of a white woman putting a vote into a voting box.

Image: CatEyePerspective, Getty Images Pro

EDIT, 04/03: The Socialist Party has changed their stance from a ‘Yes-Yes’ vote to a ‘Yes-No’ vote on the recommendations of disabled activists and organisations.

 

Irish citizens will vote in two referendums that will take place on March 8th concerning the implementation of a wider concept of family and women’s role in society.

 

The family referendum regards an addition and removal of two different parts of the amendment. The state will recognise that the family is “ founded on marriage or on other durable relationships” and will delete a section stating marriage is the institution “on which the family is founded.”

 

The care referendum regards the removal and replacement of Article 41.2 which concerns the role of women in the home. It currently recognises the support women give “by her life within the home” and they will “not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labour to the neglect of their duties in the home.” 

 

A ‘Yes’ vote will change this and insert an Article 42B which will recognise “the provision of care, by members of a family to one another by reason of the bonds that exist among them, gives to Society a support without which the common good cannot be achieved, and shall strive to support such provision.”

 

This comes after recommendations by the Citizens’ Assembly in 2021 and a special joint Oireachtas committee in 2022. They included the recommendation to delete an existing part of the Constitution and insert new text providing recognition for care provided by family members to each other and the use of language that was not gender-specific and make the government obliged to “take reasonable measures to support care within the home and wider community”.

 

All political parties excluding Aontú support a ‘Yes-Yes’ vote, but many voice that the proposed legislation does not go far enough. Labour leader Ivana Bacik said she would continue to push for better support for carers and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald called it “an opportunity missed”.

The National Women’s Council, the leading national representative organisation for women and women’s groups in Ireland, is one of many organisations advocating for a ‘Yes-Yes’ vote on the next referendum. 

 

“These votes are our opportunity to shape a fairer, more equal Ireland where all families and children are valued equally,” Care Officer at the National Women’s Council Eilish Balfe said. 

“An Ireland where the important contribution of care by both men and women is recognised. It’s our chance to send a strong message to the government that we want to see supports for families and for care.” 

 

Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald said that “[d]espite considerable disappointment with how the Government has handled the upcoming proposals, Sinn Féin has decided to support a ‘Yes’.”

 

The only political party to support a ‘No-No’ vote is Aontú with its leader TD Peadar Tóibín saying the language is “unclear and confused and seriously questions the government’s competency. No one is sure what a ‘durable relationship’ is.”

 

The Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC) Organisation is also calling for a ‘Yes-No’ vote and are only backing the Family amendment. They said “The proposed Article 42B endorses a status quo where women undertake the bulk of unpaid care work and places no obligation whatsoever on the State to redress this gender imbalance—- rendering it an implicitly sexist amendment.”

A banner made up of many black and white images collaged together. Images include protest banners, animals, buildings, and statues.

New From STAND News

Want to write for us?

Fill out the form below to join the STAND News team.

What went down internationally on climate action in 2023

What went down internationally on climate action in 2023

What went down internationally on climate action in 2023

A photo of the Dubai skyline at sunset. The sky is pink and orange. The COP28 UAE logo is placed on top of the photo.

Image: Aleksandar Pasaric, Pexels

2023 was a massive year for climate events. From wild fires to environmental summits such as the much-awaited COP28, climate change has been a topic of significance. The dusk of 2023 closed with the COP28 in Dubai. At STAND News we look at all the noteworthy climate events and documents from 2023 and see what the future holds for climate goals.

 

Climate anomalies and disasters

 

2023 was the world’s hottest year on record yet according to NASA, America’s NOAA NCEI, Copernicus Climate Change Service and the UK Met Office. The Americas and Africa reported 2023 to be the hottest year in the respective continents, while Europe, Asia and Africa claim it to be the second warmest year on record. Record-breaking high temperatures were reported in parts of Asia (Laos, Bangladesh, Thailand and India), South America (Chile), US and Europe. Heatwaves were reported during the spring in Australia. Ocean temperatures around Turkey, Spain, Italy and Greece rose to unsafe levels.

 

Wildfires were reported in Italy, Greece and Chile. 2023 saw the century’s deadliest wildfire in the US, occurring on the island of Maui in Hawaii. It also shattered the record for most acres burnt in Canadian and North American history, burning over 45.7 million acres and causing widespread air quality deterioration across the continent. The deadliest and costliest cyclone of 2023 occurred in Libya.

 

COP 28

 

This international meeting was held in Dubai, UAE from 30th Nov to 6th December. The main highlight of the event was the Global stocktake (GST1). The Global stocktake was the first of its kind, where the global progress of achieving the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement was evaluated and a new course of action was drafted based on the findings.

Two reports were released from the stocktake; the synthesis report and technical report. The synthesis report highlighted that to reach the targets agreed to in the Paris agreement, nations must be more ambitious with their plans, that is, global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions need to be cut down to 43% by 2030, 60% by 2035 from 2019 levels and net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050. It also called for developed countries to achieve net-zero much earlier than their counterparts and the global average. The technical report called for the enhancement of access to climate financing in developing countries, scaling up renewables with simultaneous phasing out of fossil fuels and an end to deforestation. The next Global stocktake will be carried out after 5 years, and so on every 5 years.

 

Health at COP28

 

There was a greater focus on the impact on health than in previous COP meetings. Over 40 million health professionals joined forces with civil organisations to push for greater focus on Climate related health issues. Currently, only 0.5% of global climate budgets are allocated to the health sector. The health workers pushed for allocation of a greater portion for health. For the first time in COP summit history, a whole day was allocated for health. WHO and Wellcome Trust hosted the COP28 Health pavilion.

Timelines for important global goals from COP28

2030

  • Triple Global renewable capacity

  • Reduce global GHG emissions by 43% compared to 2019 levels

  • Stop and reverse deforestation

2035

  • Reduce global GHG by 60% of 2019 levels

  • Global Net zero

Climate Change and Epidemics report 2023

 

The Climate Amplified Diseases and Epidemics (CLIMADE) consortium released a synthesis report which acts as a summary for policy makers. According to the report, a concerning range of pathogens have surfaced less than two years since the COVID 19 pandemic because of temperature rise, extreme climatic events and climate migration. Climate change has the potential to aggravate over 50% of known human pathogens. The global south suffers the largest health impacts due to climate change despite contributing less than 10% of GHG emissions. Increasing global temperatures facilitate survival of  disease vectors like mosquitoes, rodents and ticks and allow their move into previously unaffected areas.

 

Some climate change associated epidemics in 2023 include :

  • Following Pakistan’s devastating floods in 2022, malaria cases increased four-fold.
  • Malawi had its worst outbreak of Cholera in 2023.
  • There were massive outbreaks of Cholera in Zambia, Mozambique and Pakistan. The rates of infection were much higher than that in previous years because of flooding incidents.
  • The largest outbreaks of chikungunya and dengue ever recorded was seen in South Asia and South America.
  • Chikungunya and dengue epidemics were seen in previously unaffected areas such as Paraguay and Uruguay.
  • Tiger mosquitoes are increasing in Southern Europe, with outbreaks of Dengue in France and Italy, and chikungunya in Italy.
  • The USA saw its first local case of malaria.

State of the Energy Union report 2023

 

The European Commission released the State of the Energy Union report in October 2023. It laid out  all energy achievements of the EU in 2023. The EU diversified energy imports away from Russia and expanding imports of natural gas and LNG from Norway and the US, avoiding a major energy crisis and collapse of economy. In May 2023, the EU produced more energy from two renewable sources: wind and solar, than from fossil fuels. EU’s GHG emissions have fallen by 32.5% compared to 1990.

The document identified significant gaps with EUs action on climate challenges such as poor progress of climate action in agricultural sector, and a drew out a new path for energy transition. Circular economy is a key strategy to move towards environmental sustainability by reducing global material extraction and use by one third. EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act will incentivise recycling of critical raw materials in order to cover 15% of EU’s demand using secondary raw materials.

 

Climate Change Performance Index report 2024

 

What is it?

The Climate change performance index ranks 63 countries and the EU based on their performance on 4 climate action parameters: GHG emissions, renewable energy, energy use and climate policy. These countries account for 90% of the global GHG emissions. CCPI report for 2024 was unveiled at the COP28 on 8th December 2023 .

In 2024, Denmark ranks highest, EU made it to 16thand Ireland ranks number 43. The worst performer for the year goes to the oil nation of Saudi Arabia, the neighbour to COP28’s host. The G20 members account for more than 75% of the global GHG emissions but only 3 regions are among high performers (India, Germany and the EU), while Canada, Russia, Korea and Saudi Arabia are the among the worst performing G20 countries.

 

EU performance

The EU received a medium ranking on all 4 categories, moving up 3 spots compared to last year thanks to its climate policy document ‘Fit for 55’ package, adopted in April 2023. It aims to achieve 55% net emissions reduction from 1990 by 2030 and climate neutrality by 2050.  The EU policy for promoting renewable energy, ‘Renewable energy directive’ (RED) was revised in Fit for 55, increasing share of renewable energy to 42.5% by 2030. The expert panel advises that EU should accelerate efforts to reduce energy demand. To increase EU’s fair contribution to fit the climate crisis, 90-95% emission cuts are required by 2040 according to the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change (ESABCC).

 

Denmark

Denmark maintained its position as the 2023’s highest performer this year as well. According to Denmark’s Climate act, it aims to reduce emissions by 70% by 2030 compared to 1990. However, CCPI experts claim that Danish climate action has been stagnant since October 2022. To reach the global 1.5-degree compatible carbon budget requires tightening of the 2030 target to 80% and moving net-zero target from 2050 to 2040.

One reason for its Denmark’s high ranking is that the country combines diplomacy with concrete climate partnerships. The CCPI demands that Denmark updates climate target sector wise to reflect Denmark’s share of carbon budget, land-use to support the country’s 2030 target, intact agricultural carbon tax and return of Danish politics to ambitious climate initiatives.

 

Ireland

Ireland ranks 43 this year, moving lower than last years’ 37th place, dropping 6 points. It performed medium in Renewable energy and Energy Use, and low in Climate Policy and GHG emissions. The report emphasises that Ireland lacks a long-term strategy for phasing out fossil fuels. The CCPI welcomes Ireland’s medium-term offshore wind and solar plans and advice that existing policies on climate be implemented rapidly.

 

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is the worst ranked country in 2024 among those surveyed. Renewable energy in primary energy supply is close to zero in the country. Its targets are too low. The Saudi Green Initiative of 2021 includes a target of planting 10 billion trees by 2030, however not much progress has been made with implementation so far. Saudi Arabia should seek to reduce its emissions by, for example, using its high potential for renewable energy production.

 

2024

 

So, what do we have to look forward to in 2024? There is a one-in-three chance that 2024 will be hotter than 2023 and a 99% change that it will be among the top five warmest years according to America’s NOAA National Centres for Environmental Information (NCEI). Scientists anticipate that 2024 will be an even warmer because of the El Niño event, which may likely produce severe drouths in some regions globally, causing further climate induced migrations of humans and animal life. The Amazon has been predicted to be the source of massive disease outbreak in the future because of deforestation induced migration of wildlife into cities resulting in a spillover effect of zoonotic pathogen to humans.

 

An event is to be held this year to provide parties to discuss plans for the next Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) according to the findings of the global stocktake. The COP28 technical report calls on ministers to present updated 2030 NDCs and plans for 2035 NDCs at the 2024 UN general assembly. The next COP meeting, COP 29, will be held in Nov 2024 in Azerbaijan. Hopefully the world figures out how to stay on track to achieve the Paris Agreement by then.

A banner made up of many black and white images collaged together. Images include protest banners, animals, buildings, and statues.

New From STAND News

Want to write for us?

Fill out the form below to join the STAND News team.

The difference between catastrophic wildfires and contained wildland fires

The difference between catastrophic wildfires and contained wildland fires

The difference between catastrophic wildfires and contained wildland fires

A photo of a firefighter standing near a wildfire.

Image: Welcomia

Throughout 2023, several countries encountered deadly fires which killed hundreds of people, displaced thousands of communities and demolished countless buildings. Some areas like Maui, Hawaii experienced their worst wildfire on record, while the effects of other fires, like those that occurred in Canada, were spread far, to places like New York. Wildfires are becoming more frequent and extreme, partially due to the effects of climate change, catalyzing more extreme droughts and higher temperatures.

 

Since the outbreak of several fires earlier this month, at least 131 people have died in Chile. This death toll is expected to rise significantly as hundreds remain missing, especially in the Valparaíso Province. The Chilean President Gabriel Boric has described this event as a “tragedy of very great magnitude”, with the fire destroying thousands of homes and displacing countless more people. The combination of low humidity, major drought and high temperatures produced by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation intensifies the severity of this wildfire. Although it has not been investigated thoroughly yet, the low level of precipitation perhaps contributed to the drying out of plants, providing continuous fuel for the fire to spread at a rapid rate, whilst heavy winds ensure the longevity of the event.

 

So what is the difference between these deadly wildfires and beneficial wildland fires? Some scientists believe that, once they remain contained and are not catastrophic, wildfires are a valuable ecosystem service. As a result, they become known as wildland fires, prescribed burns used to promote biodiversity and increase soil fertility.

Could this new method of land management, along with modern technology, be implemented to aid the future of the environment?

According to scientists Juli Pausas and Jon Keeley, wildfires, or wildland fires, are “a globally important and integral part of many ecosystems, playing key roles in ecosystem dynamics and the retention of species that have evolved in response to fire”. From increasing pollination to extending the flowering periods of numerous plants, contained wildland fires have a surprisingly positive effect on natural landscapes.

A photo of a wildfire in a forest.

Image: Saravanan Narayanan, Pexels

Despite the barren bleakness that usually inhabits images of post-fire environments, wildland fires promote floral and pollinator diversity, posing long-term benefits for the surrounding areas.

A Harvard University study has estimated that the current global pollination crisis has led to approximately 500,000 early deaths a year due to the reduction in the supply of healthy foods. Whilst fires do have a negative effect on ecosystems, they also have the ability to introduce a variety of pollinators and eradicate pests and parasites, a solution which could be explored to reinvent farming practices.

 

Prescribed burns also contribute to the prevention of disastrous naturally occurring wildfires. They remove the layer of dead organic material which inhabits a forest’s floor, simultaneously allowing sunlight to reach struggling plants beneath and eliminating a layer of fuel which a wildfire would use to quicken and intensify. This controlled manner of removing decaying organic matter reduces the risk of a more devastating and rapid wildfire.

 

After a year of wildfires which had detrimental impacts on communities across the world, and a climate that is increasing in temperature, most naturally-occurring wildfires cannot unfortunately be prevented. However, new modern technology like Artificial Intelligence remote sensors, can allow for the earlier detection of wildfires, aiding the specificity of evacuation notices and hopefully resulting in a decrease in deaths.

 

Wildland fires can be ecosystem services, once they are contained and attentively managed, combating agricultural issues and prolonging the survival of various species, preventing extinction. Through this differing perspective, these fires can be efficiently utilised to render long-term benefits for the planet. 

A banner made up of many black and white images collaged together. Images include protest banners, animals, buildings, and statues.

New From STAND News

Want to write for us?

Fill out the form below to join the STAND News team.

Viewing Culture Projects Consciously: Museums and Soft Power in the U.A.E.

Viewing Culture Projects Consciously: Museums and Soft Power in the U.A.E.

Viewing Culture Projects Consciously: Museums and Soft Power in the U.A.E.

A photo of the Irish landscape, with trees and a waterfall in the foreground, and Castletown manor in the background.

Image: Louvre Abu Dhabi, Yuriyseleznev

This past Christmas break, for the first time in almost 18 months, I journeyed back to the city where I spent most of my childhood: Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.). Having lived there from the ages of 8 to 18, my experience of the city as an expatriate mostly consisted of going to and from my international school, attending weekend excursions to shopping malls, and eating shawarma routinely on Monday evenings.

 

Yet whilst I experienced these formative years in a country that, to me, was known for its Guinness World Records, multicultural food, and sweltering summers, the U.A.E. was working behind the scenes in igniting a newfound legacy of culture projects.

 

Ranging from pop-up museums to entire neighbourhoods deemed ‘culture districts’, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and other prominent cities in the Gulf have experienced the establishment of varied institutions, all built with the primary aim of introducing arts and culture into the hubris of the Gulf. Yet what is the origin of this new cultural explosion in this area of the world? And how does understanding the foundationally oil-based economy of Gulf countries help bring some clarity to the picture of culture project development?

 

This piece explores the notion of soft power, defined as power exerted without the use of coercion or force through assortment of means, whether it be providing aid to other countries, advocating for an ideology, or promoting one’s own culture or the culture of others – a concept which is increasingly being used as a means of advancement of national interests on a global scale from a cooperative angle.

By discussing soft power as something purchasable, and applying it to the status quo of culture projects in the U.A.E, I hope to shed some light on the importance of knowing the origins of any cultural venture before looking simply at its artistic surface.

 

The United Arab Emirates’ year of birth isn’t too far from that of my parents and that of many other university students’ parents: at 52 years of age, the country has sprung itself into the forefront of the global economy within mere decades. Its history as a small, community-based, pearl diving and date-growing desert land, suitable primarily as a port intermediary between Europe and Central Asia, soon came to a halt in 1966 when oil was first struck in Dubai. This spread an ‘exploratory spirit’ across the rest of the soon-to-be nation, with the seven Emirates coming together in the name of a newly prosperous, natural-gas centric resource hub to sign a federation announcing the creation of the U.A.E. on December 2nd, 1971.

 

This nation soon found itself rapidly developing, building up two multinational economic centre points of cities in the Middle East and serving as a place of career development and residence  for people from all over the world. Part of this development has also been focused on boosting a cultural rapport for the country, and the U.A.E. in particular has done so with gusto.

Although the U.A.E. has a host of beautiful museums dedicated to preserving its vibrant cultural heritage existent before the nation’s establishment, its most renowned museum establishment, the Louvre Abu Dhabi, was established in 2017 in partnership with the Louvre Paris, not as a reflection of local Emirati art but instead as a diplomatic strategy between the United Arab Emirates and France to enforce soft power. The Louvre is the most prominent of many projects, created and to be created, built to promote soft power in the U.A.E.

 

While some museums such as the Louvre or the up-and-coming Abu Dhabi branch of the Guggenheim demonstrate an allegiance to and the celebration of European culture and artwork, boosting an already prominent legacy of soft power in countries such as France and publicly demonstrating the U.A.E.’s claim to many of the world’s culturally relevant works of art, other museums such as the Zayed National Museum look inwards, proudly celebrating the founder of the nation, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan, as well as earlier pre-nation history. These projects, alongside dozens of others, mark what has now become a movement of institutions being built to share cultural legacies in both international and local contexts.

A photo of someone reading a newspaper inside a cosy cafe. Their face is obscured by the newspaper and their legs are crossed.

Image: Louvre Abu Dhabi, Yuriyseleznev

Recounting the history of the U.A.E.’s culture projects is no hard feat. But what does this mean for the country itself, and what do its generous investments into cultural projects say about its goals beyond a seemingly benign interest in promoting its own culture, and that of others? The U.A.E. ‘s recent birth tells us that it has lots to prove.

From establishing itself on the international stage as an economic actor, to ensuring that its traditions, vastly different to that of many other economic powers, remains intact, it wants to be on the minds of many. These culture projects say that it is a hub for conversation and that it can serve as a boosting platform for other countries. The country is becoming economically well connected, forging diplomatic relations with assorted regions, boosting its internal internationality both in tourism and residency, and learning to celebrate its own history, and the ability of the nation to establish these projects is able to deliver this message loud and clear. 

 

Although these projects have a fascinating scope and purpose, discussing their fallbacks is of the utmost importance. The cultivation of a variety of these projects have been accompanied by reports of human rights violations, which discuss the status quo of construction workers on projects working under brutal conditions including unbearable heat, cramped living conditions, and minimal wages.

The U.A.E.’s relationship with censorship is also complex, with LGBTQ+ groups and many minority communities’ voices being left out of any conversation in the cultural context. These limitations allow us to question the justness of blindly supporting culture institutions in Gulf countries.

 

This culture project movement is no small feat, and I’ll be the first to say that a couple of laps around the Louvre Abu Dhabi over my holidays rendered me just as impressed as ever. Yet in the process of considering the merits of any of these culture projects, whether it be the internationally-focused Louvre, the to-be-localised Zayed National Museum, or anything in between, it is crucial to keep a critical eye on the motivations behind, and means used to create, these establishments. Only with an understanding of the complete process of these projects’ creation can we have a fully-formed picture of this soft power burst in the U.A.E. and in nations beyond.

A banner made up of many black and white images collaged together. Images include protest banners, animals, buildings, and statues.

New From STAND News

Want to write for us?

Fill out the form below to join the STAND News team.

Finding dignity in food poverty

Finding dignity in food poverty

Finding dignity in food poverty

A photo of the Irish landscape, with trees and a waterfall in the foreground, and Castletown manor in the background.

Image: SolStock.

Food poverty is recognised by the Government of Ireland as the inability to have an adequate and nutritious diet due to issues of affordability or accessibility. As part of their Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025, the Government has committed to reducing the number of those living in constant poverty to 2% or lower by next year, 2025. This effort is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In 2015 the UN outlined 17 SDGs as part of their 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Second on the list behind ‘zero poverty’ sits the objective to achieve ‘zero hunger’. The goal is to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agricultural practices in all UN member states. 

At present there are no official food insecurity and inequality indicators in Ireland. 

However answers to the annual Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) run by the Central Statistics Office use the following questions to gain an insight into the condition in Ireland. Agreeing with one or more of these statements is an indication of being in or at risk of food insecurity: 

  • Unable to afford a meal with meat, or vegetarian equivalent, every second day

  • Unable to afford a weekly roast dinner (or vegetarian equivalent)

  • Missing one substantial meal in the last fortnight due to lack of money

13.1% of people were at risk of poverty in 2021, up 1.5% on the previous year according to recent findings.  In relation to food, 1.4% of the roughly 12,000 sampled were at risk of food deprivation, equivalent to over 70,000 people when referring to the total population. In a report entitled Constructing a Food Poverty Indicator for Ireland using the Survey on Income and Living Conditions from 2012, Carney and Maître proposed adding a fourth category:

  • Inability to have family or friends for a meal or drink once a month

 

In the face of deprivation this may seem frivolous but serves to represent the social aspect of food. Sharing meals is often culturally important and fosters connection among family and friends. 

The lack of robust and specific data pertaining to food poverty continues to pose a disservice and disadvantage to the people of Ireland who remain unrepresented in their hardship to acquire adequate quantities and food of quality for themselves and their families. The SILC was not created to specifically measure food poverty and therefore is an inadequate metric on which to base our understanding of the situation in Ireland today.

A photo of someone reading a newspaper inside a cosy cafe. Their face is obscured by the newspaper and their legs are crossed.

Image: Kuarmungadd, Getty Images Pro.

The sample cohort is chosen through a rigorous statistical structure, however, it is only applicable to those in traditional living situations – owner occupied and rental homes. This excludes members of the Travelling Community, asylum seekers living in direct provision and the homeless. This could mean that the figures provided by the SILC are somewhat lower than the real number of people facing food poverty in the country today.

How does one navigate food poverty? 

 

 

In accordance with the Roadmap, there are a number of ongoing Government incentives to reduce the impact of food poverty such as: free lunch schemes in schools, a school milk programme, promotion of nutritional education via schools and libraries, and funding to Meals on Wheels programmes around the country among many others. 

Food banks are also in operation around the country and serve as a main source of for the assistance of the physical acquisition of food. The Capuchin Day Centre in Dublin is often highlighted as a main source of food assistance during the winter period. It recently saw over 3,000 people queuing for food vouchers over the Christmas period. Crosscare, a registered charity, is the largest supplier of stock for food banks in Ireland providing food to the St. Vincent de Paul, Focus Ireland and the Simon Community as well as having its own distribution centres. 

In Ireland the most common type of food help is provided via pre-made food parcels containing the necessities and staples. While this model is endlessly helpful and life saving, often the element of choice is eliminated. Due to funding and organisational structures pre-made food parcels are advantageous and easier to co-ordinate especially on a larger scale. The move of the Capuchin Day Centre to give out Supervalu vouchers this year instead of pre-made hampers grants service users the agency to buy what they want and need most. This element of choice is integral to the provision of dignity as the families are given ownership over their food habits.

There is benefit in change and innovation which is not confined to technology but can expand to how we view and address social issues. The Mid-West Simon Community is currently in the process of creating a Social Grocery store in Limerick, the first of its kind in the country and will hopefully spur other such enterprises. It will offer a traditional ‘shop-style’ shopping experience to service users with groceries sold at a heavily discounted price. The initiative is set to open this year in 2024, however, little information is available regarding its current progress.

‘Shop-style’ food banks are in operation in other parts of the world. In Golden, BC, Canada the access to their food bank is not means tested, as many support services are in Ireland but based on personal interpretation of need. Depending on their family size the service users are given limits on what they can take, this is mainly for dairy products, meat, eggs and some vegetables depending on abundance. Some categories are unlimited. The shop stocks a range of fresh vegetables from their community garden, fresh milk and dairy products donated by the two local supermarkets, as well as hygiene products, baby food and animal food. The food bank is supported partly by funding from Food Banks Canada, a government run organisation. This support allows them to buy in bulk staples such as porridge, pasta and tinned tomatoes.

The freedom of choice that is available to the service users is immense and noteworthy, meaning clients are able to deliberate, choose what they want to eat and give no mind to price. The food is of a high quality and offers vegetarian and vegan alternatives too. Parents come in with their children, allowing for the familiar experience of food shopping as a family. The food bank also offers a lending library for kitchen gadgets like food mixers or canning equipment – free of charge. 

The potential for this sort of enterprise in Ireland is abundant especially in our rural towns where community gardens could be utilised. With sufficient governmental assistance and support to secure a premises, a model such as this could be possible in Ireland. The possibility to restore choice and the social aspect of food shopping will not go unnoticed. The supermarket or local shop is a place of meeting and connection; for some it’s a reason to leave the house. A Social Grocery such as the one proposed in Limerick could help to remove the stigma associated with food poverty and restore dignity and agency among those facing food insecurity. 

A banner made up of many black and white images collaged together. Images include protest banners, animals, buildings, and statues.

New From STAND News

Want to write for us?

Fill out the form below to join the STAND News team.