Winter Letter 2022
Dear Friend,
Following an open and transparent recruitment process, I was recently appointed CEO of Bóthar, having been Interim CEO since November 2020. I have first-hand experience of our mission, as well as a proven ability to maintain and build relationships through the most difficult period in our existence.
At the outset, I would like to thank you sincerely for the support that you have given Bóthar in the past. Please accept our deepest apologies for the disappointment and hurt you may have felt regarding Bóthar over the past two years. There are extensive criminal and civil investigations and litigation ongoing. Unfortunately, this constrains our ability to provide our supporters with further information at this time.
The main purpose of this letter is to inform you of the steps that we have taken to rectify past actions. We have worked diligently to radically overhaul governance and financial controls within our organisation, including the appointment of a new and independent Board. I can confirm that we have re-ignited the mission of our 31 year history which is at the heart of every decision and action that we take. Despite the added complications of a global pandemic and an acute loss of income, we have managed to maintain core projects and, indeed, we have added new partners and families to the Bóthar fold.
Over the past two years, we have invested significant resources into projects across Africa and Eastern Europe. Some of these are long-term programmes and we are acutely aware that the families we work with need our support now more than ever. I am pleased to attach further details of our current project work, which remains our core focus and priority.
If you have any questions or suggestions on how best we can meet the commitment of our original mission to ‘enable families to overcome hunger and poverty in a sustainable way’, please contact me via the email or phone number referenced above.
In conclusion, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support of Bóthar.
Yours sincerely,
Aideen O’Leary
Chief Executive
Bóthar