Olivia O’Leary, who performed the official opening, views the ‘A Better World for Everyone’ photographic exhibition with Rev David Nixon, president of the Methodist Church of Ireland, and Anton Scheele in the Methodist Church in Carlow
Photos: michaelorourkephotography.ie

A PHOTO exhibition illustrating an impactful development programme that operates in some of the world’s most disadvantaged areas took place in Carlow recently. The work of the Irish Methodist World Development and Relief Programme was documented by three Irish photographers, Pete Laverty, Tim West and Simon Hutchinson.

The initiative has supported around 400,000 people over the last 50 years across eight countries with 12 local partners. They include a host of programmes, including an education programme in Lebanon for some of the 1.5 million Syrian refugees, and empowering women in Africa, who are now caring for their grandchildren after they lost their parents.

Programme committee member, Carlow’s Anton Scheele, explained: “They all have something in common. Every project starts off by supporting to build a community, then it can go into water projects, or helping vulnerable women in Nepal, where there is lot of domestic violence, by enabling and empowering them to get housing, education and skills.”

He added: “There is a lot of forgotten people from around the world. The fall-out from Syria is not in the media, as they have moved on, but people are still living in camps.

“We start differently than most organisations. We ask people on the ground what they see as the biggest problem. What would make their biggest problem a little bit smaller? Instead of experts outside identifying the biggest problem and where to start, we work the other way around. The ownership is with local people.”

The exhibition was planned to coincide with the programme’s 50th anniversary, but was delayed until this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The exhibition was launched by broadcaster and journalist Olivia O’Leary. A large number of transition year students from local schools also visited the expo during its run. The exhibition will now be displayed in other Methodist churches across Ireland, north and south. More information about the programme can be found on irishmethodist.org.

The ‘A Better World for Everyone’ photographic exhibition was officially opened by Olivia O’Leary in the Methodist Church in Carlow