With the holidays fast approaching, make sure you check out the IRT online shopping portal. Here you will find our ‘Buy at’ account where your purchases at various retailers—including Amazon, Asda, M&S, etc.—contribute a small portion to support IRT.

There are a number of promotions going on now. Here we highlight a few of them:

•     Exclusive 2 for 1 Spa offer from The Celtic Manor Resort
•     £40 money-off Voucher book from ASDA
•     20% off all clothing with PLAY
•      New competition for you: The Webshops ‘Five Star’ Christmas competition starts TODAY Monday 8^th November and you can win up to £5,000!

Happy shopping!

By Denise Delaney

We are pleased to share that Barefoot Peace Walks were held in Gulu and Lira in Uganda on 21^st September 2010, the UN International Day of Peace.  

Gulu’s Barefoot Peace Walk focused on ‘walking in solidarity with LRA affected populations’.  Hundreds of citizens, student representatives, cooperatives of disabled and HIV-AIDS positive individuals, humanitarian workers, Catholic and Anglican Archbishops, the UNDP Head of Office and a Gulu District Representative gathered to demonstrate that even if the guns have been silent in Northern Uganda, the Acholi people have not forgotten their neighbours affected by LRA violence. They drew highlighted that even if a relative peace exists for now, the stability of the entire region concerns them all. Stopping the LRA’s hostility remains a common hope and a common goal.

The event is also remarkable as the first jointly organised with a number of NGOs working in peace and reconciliation. Among others, the organisers include the Comboni Samaritans of Gulu, Justice and Peace Commission, War Child Holland, Care, Accord and IPSS. They gathered under the umbrella group of the newly re-established District Peace and Reconciliation Team (DRPT).  It was encouraging to see so many organisations collaborating and drawing together their efforts and resources to organise a simple but powerful event in solidarity with others across the region and in the UK.

In Lira, the Obaya Community Association held its Barefoot Peace Walk—attracting over 300 participants—at the Aki Bua Memorial Stadium. Richard Adupa, the Chief Executive Officer, opened the walk by welcoming the guests, community members from different localities, local organisations and government officials. He stressed that peace is a ‘foundation for growth and development’, a real ‘tool for success—physically, socially, politically and economically. He also called on local leaders, governments and international bodies to come together for peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic and Southern Sudan.

Take a look at the photos from both events on IRT’s Flickr photostream, and definitely have a look at the video from the Barefoot Peace Walk in Lira!

By Denise Delaney



The IRT online shop sells handmade products from the Wawoto Kacel Cooperative Society Ltd. in Gulu, Uganda. Recently, they launched the Wawoto Kacel blog. You can learn more about the making of their products, hear from some of the workers, and discover the item of the week or their latest promotion. Check out the short videos  ‘Are you looking for fair handmade African stuff?’ and ‘100% workers’.

Wawoto Kacel was created in 1997 by a group of HIV positive women with the help of the Comboni Samaritans of Gulu, northern Uganda. Wawoto Kacel means 'walking together'. The initiative helps provide emotional support and financial independence for women affected by HIV/AIDS. IRT supports various projects run by the Samaritans of Gulu, therefore we are pleased to help promote the Wawoto Kacel initiative through our online shop.

 'The main resource of a population is its dignity' - Wawoto Kacel Cooperative Society Ltd

With the holidays approaching, why not take a look at the merchandise for sale at the shop? Many items make wonderful gifts.

By Denise Delaney



IRT is excited to share the news that Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala of Sudan will be visiting London, as well as Edinburgh and Glasgow, later this month. His Diocese of Tombura-Yambio in Sudan borders the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

His visit is meant to ‘ring the alarm bell’ regarding the situation in Sudan. There are concerns about the threat of renewed violence with the referendum on secession and elections taking place in early January. The people of his diocese and the wider region already face a ‘real and imminent’ security threat, which he fears the referendum could exacerbate, Bishop Hiiboro told ACN:

 ‘If it goes well, the referendum will bring peace to a country which has suffered almost five decades of brutal civil war … but if not then Sudan will descend into violence and instability which will affect the whole region’.

In addition to outlining his concerns to Catholic charities, government officials and Church leaders, he is seeking renewed political backing from those involved in the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA)—the UK, EU, U.S. and UN. The Enough Project has highlighted that there is now less than 100 days before the referendum and it welcomes the Obama administration’s intensified diplomatic engagement on Sudan.  

Bishop Hiiboro, along with other bishops, is concerned about the lack of commitment on the part of Sudanese politicians on pre-referendum guidelines such as voter registration, voter awareness, and involvement of diverse political factions. He fears that a united Sudan under Khartoum’s Islamist regime would return the country to violence and the persecution of non-Muslims. To read more about Bishop Hiiboro’s comments, check out this Catholic News Agency article.

The Catholic charity, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), is organising events during his visit. In London, the bishop will keynote ACN’s annual Westminster Event, ‘Hope Without Fear’, on 16^th October after presiding at the 10:30 a.m. Mass (sung in Latin) in Westminster Cathedral. To book your place or find out more information about the event, which will also feature other speakers, go to ACN’s website.  

What: ACN annual mass and ‘Hope Without Fear’ event with Bishop Hiiboro

When: Saturday, 16^th October, mass at 10:30a.m. with speakers to follow

Where: Westminster Cathedral, Ambrosden Avenue, London SW1P 1QW

By Denise Delaney