Liz O'Donnell launches Irish One World Quilt and Handbook

Ms. Liz O'Donnell TD, Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs with special responsibility for Overseas Development Assistance and Human Rights said that the Quilt provided a wonderful opportunity for women from the North and South to examine concepts of development, interdependence between people and nations and the linkages between local and global issues. Fifty nine womens' groups contributed to making the panel with each group selecting a theme drawn from their own experiences of a wide range of issues affecting women such as poverty, solidarity, justice, peace, migration and drugs.

The aim of the One World Quilt is to engage people in an education and awareness programme on development issues from a local and global viewpoint. Development education encourages people to develop a deeper understanding of the economic, political and social causes of inequality both here in Ireland and in developing countries.

The Minister said that the Quilt project illustrates the effectiveness of development education.

She was encouraged to see that the Quilt and Handbook reflected the views of women from North and South. Two groups from Northern Ireland, Women Together for Peace, and Women on Rural Development contributed to the Quilt showing how different groups can cooperate when drawn together for a common purpose.

Finally, the Minister welcomed the new approach to Development Education taken by the organisers of the Quilt and Handbook by the collaboration between the development education, community developmenent and arts sectors. Top