Today is Ash Wednesday and it is the first day of Lent. The children can go to mass to receive their ashes and for adults it is a day of fasting.
The Trocaire Box has long been associated with Lent. In 1973 floods ravaged Bangladesh and the people in Ireland began to donate money to help the people in this country.
Cardinal William Conway saw the need for an Irish Church agency to channel such generosity and Trócaire's life began. Trócaire's work focuses on helping the poorest communities in the world.
The tradition of children in Ireland receiving a Trócaire Box in school to take home for Lent has continued for over 50 years.
The children received their Trócaire Boxes this week and they asked many interesting questions about this charity.
The theme for Trócaire this year is the importance of water for families.
This year on the Trócaire Box you will learn about 12 year-old-twins Patricia and Patrick and their family. Climate change is devastating their lives and livelihood and too little or too much water is a daily struggle for the family.
During play-based learning, Harrison, Michael and Noah designed pumps out of Lego that could be used to help people reach clean water for their families.
