CARI (Children At Risk in Ireland) are calling for immediate emergency Government funding and will begin a campaign to raise €100,000 in 100 days starting on the 18th of July 2022. This may sound like a lot of money to raise but sadly, this is the amount required to allow them to clear their current waiting list of 5 YEARS.
This situation is totally unacceptable. CARI who provides child-centred therapy to children aged 3- 12 who have experienced sexual abuse. They also support the child’s parents, carers and families, however currently they find themselves in an impossible position of having to turn suffering, frightened children and their families away, leaving them with nowhere to turn. All with the knowledge that without early treatment interventions up to 90% of these children will develop mental health issues by the time they are 18.
Although it is commendable to see how Ireland stepped up to support the war-torn Ukraine families. With Ireland not only taking in more Ukraine families than any other European country, and providing somewhere to live, financial, healthcare and educational supports. It would make one proud to be Irish. However, the most important element of highlighting the Government supports for the refugees is to point out that when government will is present, mountains can be moved.
Now all we need, is for the same will to be present, to save our children. It’s time to let our children know they matter, that they are really important to us, so when they bravely speak out and need help, it will be there. It is unacceptable that this is not the case today.
CARI’s funding is totally inadequate to allow them to carry on. In their 33-year history of providing supports to our most vulnerable children, their current 5 Year Waiting list is the highest it has ever been, with a rise of 115% since covid. CARI should not have to do any fundraising; their energy and attention is required to provide help and support to the children to allow them to heal from their suffering.
Unfortunately, with our government it normally requires a public outcry to get them to see the light, acknowledge the issues and act on them. The empty lip service will not cut it this time, we need to act on this and force them to acknowledge the pain and suffering their inaction is causing. They need to understand their ignorance causes as much damage as the abuse the children experienced. They need to see the cost of ignoring the problem will yield much bigger problems than the money required to support these children NOW.
We are asking you to not only support CARI through donating as much as you can, but we are also asking you to put pressure on the government to do the right thing by our children, IMMEDIATELY. Let them know that no politician should feel safe in their post, they are elected to put the interested of the people first and their inaction will not be tolerated any longer. Let our voices be heard in the next election, demand change. These are all our children, and they need our help Today!
The Kavanagh Sisters
