Gorta’s mission is to work for a world free from the injustices of chronic hunger, poverty and disease, having special regard for the plight of children and the empowerment of women. Gorta establishes partnerships with local communities, and supports local leadership to ensure their needs are met in a sustainable way.
Gorta focuses on tackling problems before they develop into emergencies. For Gorta, development is seen as a process enabling people to reach a position where they can provide for their own growth and protection without relying on outside help. Rather than imposing solutions on people, Gorta seeks to give people the tools to create their own solutions.
Programmes and projects supported by Gorta are located predominantly in Sub-Saharan Africa where the need is greatest, primarily in our five priority countries of Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Their objective is to help people become self-sufficient in food production and income generation. Gorta supports agricultural activities including livestock rearing, irrigation schemes and other water-based projects. The support of education and healthcare initiatives and of income generating activities also forms an important part of Gorta’s work.
Gorta was the first overseas development organisation to be set up in Ireland. It was established by the Department of Agriculture in 1965 at the request of the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations and is now an independent NGO.
Since its inception, Gorta has channelled the contributions of Irish people to almost 2,000 projects in the developing world in working to realise our vision of a world where there is no hunger and where the poorest communities have the means to create a prosperous future for themselves and their children.
For more information, please visit our website at www.gorta.org and our video channel at www.Gorta.tv
Specialties
Food Security, Water Security, Education, Health, Livelihoods, Women's Empowerment
