Save the Children appoints new Head of Northern Ireland

Corrine Heaney
28 June 2010 - 9:21am
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Tagged as:

• child poverty
• Children
• Children and families
• Save the Children

Fergus Cooper, Save the Children Head of Northern Ireland

Fergus has over 20 years experience in public affairs and campaigning work in Northern Ireland gained with a variety of non-profit organisations. He has combined a career in media production, marketing communications and lobbying with a keen interest in the welfare of young people.

Commenting on his appointment, Fergus Cooper said, “I am joining Save the Children to hold government to its commitment to end child poverty by 2020 and to fully implement the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.”

“Shockingly, 122,000 children live in poverty in Northern Ireland. We also have double the rate of Britain for persistent or long term child poverty. The new Child Poverty Act legally compels government to act to end child poverty in the UK by 2020. The Northern Ireland Executive is now preparing its child poverty strategy in response to the Act. Save the Children will contribute to the strategy to ensure it targets children living in severe poverty and lifts all children out of poverty.”

Save the Children has launched a number of new early intervention programmes in NI recently. These include FAST (Families and Schools Together) and Inspiring Change a programme for young people across Northern Ireland to discuss issues that they face locally and their ideas for change.

Fergus said, “I believe no child is be born to fail.  The challenge we face as a society is to ensure that every child has an equal opportunity to develop and thrive.”