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Daniel was on the side of the Trócaire box six years ago - now, he wants to be a doctor

Here’s how Irish donations have helped one family get back on their feet.

TheJournal.ie / YouTube

THE TRÓCAIRE BOX has been a staple in Irish schools and household for years.

But what happens afterwards to the young boys and girls whose faces are displayed on the donation boxes?

For 2012′s Lent campaign, Daniel Okweng from Northern Uganda was chosen to appear on the collection box. He and his family had been forced from their homes due to a decades-long civil war that had claimed an estimated 100,000 civilian lives and displaced more than 1.5 million people.

Returning home from the refugee camps was a struggle for Daniel’s family. Their homes and property had been destroyed.

As our video shows, six years after Daniel appeared on the Trócaire box, life has changed completely – for the better.

For more on Trócaire’s work in the region, visit the aid agency’s website.

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    Mute Eyepopper
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    Nov 29th 2016, 10:36 AM

    Excellent, so the HSE is so f&ked up we need to start introducing laws to get them to stop breaking their own rules & guidelines.

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    Mute Hugh Mannatee
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    Nov 29th 2016, 10:39 AM

    Exactly. It’s OK to break the law when you are the law.

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    Mute Brendan McGill
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    Nov 29th 2016, 11:49 AM

    It may be OK to them, it’s certainly not OK to us!

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    Mute john
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    Nov 29th 2016, 1:29 PM

    Would someone in government please bring in legislation to dissolve that HSE , not to change its name but dissolve it’s existence it’s an embarrassment to this state. Who in God’s name employ’s these incompetent fo..ls.

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    Mute Eyepopper
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    Nov 29th 2016, 1:35 PM

    @john: I wouldn’t hold your breath, FG use it to get exposure and experience for their bright young stars, and the leader of the opposition is the man whose bright idea the whole thing was to begin with.

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    Mute John Flood
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    Nov 29th 2016, 11:35 AM

    Here’s a clear case of what to “outsource” – let Pieta House manage mental health for the HSE! They are miracle workers for what they accomplish on a meager budget. They understand duty of care.

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    Mute Madison Underwood
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    Nov 29th 2016, 8:41 PM

    No thanks. It’s a company/charity at the end of the day. Health should not be off loaded to companies.

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    Mute Linda Hughes
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    Nov 29th 2016, 11:51 AM

    There is not enough been done for Mental health!

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    Mute The Red Devil
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    Nov 29th 2016, 11:33 AM

    For the love of god ……. how in this day and age is all of this still happening in this country are we that short sighted, narrow minded and just blind to all of these issues…….or is it the people in authority don’t care or it’s all so messed up we just can’t fix it – or are unwilling until it’s front page news
    Everyday it’s something new – that u read – and u wouldn’t believe it if it was a different country and we would have our opinion – but it’s at our own door

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    Mute Eyepopper
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    Nov 29th 2016, 12:00 PM

    @The Red Devil: I think in truth its a mixture of all of those things, but crucially I don’t think there is any political will to actually solve the mess in our health service.

    I think the ministry itself is now basically just being used as a means of boosting political profiles.

    The entire structure of the HSE is not fit for purpose, we see scandals in the news on a weekly basis, and there never seem to be any real consequences. No one is accountable.

    Unfortunately, solving the issue would require a long term strategy, a complete rewrite of policy, and restructuring of the service, and how it’s managed and governed – it would be a massive and complex job.

    Contrast the job at hand with the fact that in the last 20 years the average length of time a minister for health holds the office is 2.5 years. Under FG we are already on to our 3rd minister in 5 years.

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    Mute Tony O Dwyer
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    Nov 29th 2016, 2:10 PM

    The major problem with the HSE and the major cause of budgetary constraints within the HSE is people and in particular the number of administrative personnel
    If a department closes they are simply moved to another that is already overstaffed
    Its a fact and I`ve witnessed it , there are departments which started with 2 and now have 12 doing the same workoad and thats not an exageration
    And because of their poxy unions they can`t be let go or sacked for poor performance
    Unless someone is willing to grow a pair of balls the HSE and the Public Service Pension is going to bankrupt this country
    Enough is now enough and the bleeding heart liberals supporting the HSE need to step aside and for the sake of the country take their medicine
    The administrative staffing levels are swallowing money hand over fist with the end result that front line services are suffering , these are serices we are entitled to and simply not getting
    I know enough in the HSE and by Christ they are delusional people
    Rant over for now

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    Mute Charles Williams
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    Nov 29th 2016, 2:43 PM

    What is needed is extra staff and inpatient capacity in CAMHS services nationally.(Child & Adolescence Mental Health Services) example- here in Kerry there are no CAMHS inpatient services, and Kerry children are referred to the Cork services for inpatient care. The problem is capacity in Cork is about as tight as cinema seats on Mars, therefore for that reason alone if you live in Kerry your child will end up in the adult inpatient services. I assume if you have health insurance cover, John of God’s CAHMS in Dublin will take your child as long as the insurance keep paying.The problem is under resourcing to no resourcing and I don’t see this changing any time soon. It’s not a change in the law that’s need ,it’s a change of attidute that says mental health doesn’t matter.

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    Mute glenoir1
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    Nov 29th 2016, 11:06 AM

    Pls read I can assure u young people have been admitted and stayed in this unit and although hse states that something’s in report may be historical that is not the case. Family member in this unit recently witnessed 18yr old girl in bed with 26yr old man in thtee bedded male ward. The young girl was totally psychotic on drugs. The guy didn’t care gd has partner and young baby. The staff in the office doors closed chatting and on their phone’s

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    Mute glenoir1
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    Nov 29th 2016, 11:07 AM
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    Mute keith mahon
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    Nov 29th 2016, 12:42 PM

    Most people are not born with mental health problems .life in ireland today makes the will to live impossible for alot of people . 3rd world services and the daily grind are not sustainable . no dignity no life. Our rulers know this all to well .

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    Mute Gary O'neill
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    Nov 29th 2016, 10:30 AM

    This is what the tax payers money is going towards? Guess I can kiss that beach house in San Diego goodbye

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