Minister McConalogue shares his experience of African trip with Lurgybrack pupils

Donegal minister Charlie McConalogue visited Lurgybrack NS in Letterkenny where he shared his experiences of his recent trip to Africa.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine spoke to fourth, fifth, and sixth-class pupils about his own time at school, and about his career as a politician.

Minister McConalogue recalled his week-long visit to Sudan in March and explained that he used the opportunity to see how the funding provided by his department is supporting communities on the ground. He told the pupils that much of the population relies on agriculture to feed their families and for their income.

During his trip, he announced that €30 million would be allocated to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to respond to the mounting humanitarian needs in the Horn of Africa. The region is facing a prolonged period of extreme need because of drought, conflict, and the ongoing impacts of climate change.

His talk to the local pupils fitted in with Lurgybrack NS's green school theme - global citizenship and energy. The subject looks at energy use in a global setting and at the UN’s global goals to end poverty and protect the planet. Green Schools Ireland recently launched 'Global Goals Week' which involved schools from Ireland, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana and Dubai meeting online to allow students to share their opinions on the importance of the global goals.

Speaking after his visit to the Letterkenny primary school, Minister McConalogue said: "I thoroughly enjoyed the interaction with the pupils. They asked plenty of relevant and interesting questions and showed a great level of knowledge in the areas of food, agriculture and sustainability."