Annual Report 2007

Message from Misean Cara Chairsperson Sr Noelle Corscadden, 2008:

'2008 promises to be another important year for Misean Cara. It is my prayer that - as true friends do - we may continue to find ways of bringing out all that is best in each other in the service of realising God's urgent hope for those striving for liberation from poverty.

2007 has been another very productive year for Misean Cara, as we continued to evolve as a unique, dynamic and forward-looking organisation.

Misean Cara is unique because we work hard at bringing together our members - 85 different missionary organisations, lay and religious. We support these organisations in a wide variety of ways, and work closely with them in their mission to create a world where people's fundamental human rights are respected. Misean Cara is shaped by the shared passion, commitment and determination of its missionary members to work for the creation of a radically different world order, a world where all people are given a chance to live life to the full. This is the common thread which unites us and the efforts of all the 800 missionaries supported by Misean Cara over the past year.

The reports and stories in this year's annual report about what members are doing in the field speak loudly of the dynamism and vitality of this organisation. Missionaries will never accept that human beings should be ground down by poverty. At times the scale of the challenges to be faced can be daunting. But what we see are missionaries - from Ireland and increasingly from developing countries - who continue to walk faithfully side by side with people in the most difficult of circumstances. We see missionaries who give of their creativity and resourcefulness to find ways to build better futures for people.

Thankfully, despite much of what is often said about development, in the fight against poverty and all that diminishes the human community, what we have to report is that great things are happening. With help from Misean Cara people are being given a chance to learn; the possibility to have basic health care; hope in the fight against HIV/AIDS; and ways of creating wealth without destroying the planet. Increasingly our members are taking steps to see how these efforts can be linked up with the efforts of other partners - governments and civil society organisations - so that we can together be more effective.

Misean Cara continues to be an evolving and forward-looking organisation. From the setting up of Misean Cara, the Board have been very committed to ensuring that the organisation would provide the best possible service to its members. In this spirit, in 2007 the Board promoted the need for a process of regional consultations with members in the field. These took place at three-day meetings in South Africa, Brazil, Nigeria and Kenya. We were very conscious of wanting to hear from people at the cutting edge of missionary development work what their challenges were, and how we could respond to these in the future.

When it was established, Misean Cara inherited funding mechanisms from Irish Aid and APSO. The Board has seen the need to actively develop funding mechanisms that would be more missionary - appropriate. Over the past year, with the assistance of Fitzpatrick Associates, we have carried out a very thorough review of our inherited schemes. During that process we have listened carefully to what members had to say about the strengths and weaknesses of the ways in which we support members.

From both of these review processes we have gained much knowledge and insight into the strengths and needs of our members. We feel the bond with our members has strengthened. The insights will be of real importance in shaping the development of the next Strategic Plan for Misean Cara, which will be a key task for the organisation in 2008.

The priority need for many members is clearly to access additional funding. Misean Cara continues to be grateful to Irish Aid for the significant funding - €16 million in 2007 - it provides to Misean Cara. We are also happy to report to Irish Aid and the wider public that this money is being used wisely and to great effect. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Irish Aid, and hope on the basis of our new strategic plan to be able to sign a multi-annual funding agreement with them in 2008.

During 2007 we also carried out a thorough review of our brand, again involving a widespread consultation with members and other stakeholders. At the end of this process we are delighted to be able to announce that, as evidenced in this annual report, we have approved a new name for what was the Irish Missionary Resource Service: Misean Cara - mission support from Ireland. Chosen after careful reflection, we think this name captures all that is best about our organisation.

What drives us is the desire and commitment to be a true friend from Ireland, a solid and trustworthy friend resolute in doing all they can to respect, value and support the extraordinary contribution of missionaries in the creation of a more just world. We are also resolved to utilise the opportunity of the renaming of the company to deepen public awareness of the too often hidden work of missionaries, and to allow the wider Irish public new channels through which they can become part of the future of that work.

In conclusion, I would like to thank the staff and Board members for their dedication and continuing hard work on behalf of Misean Cara members, especially Fr Tommy Hayden SPS and Sr Fidelma O'Neill FMSA whose term of office ended in 2007, and Sr Ann Ryan SSC who resigned during the year. We were very happy to welcome on to the Board Sr Bridgette Cormack FMSA, Fr Seán McDonagh SSC, and Fr John Coleman CSSp. The dedication and commitment of staff, Board members and committee members is a core strength of our organisation. This commitment and dedication will ensure that Misean Cara continues to evolve, with Gospel values and professional standards permeating and motivating all we do.'

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