SHARP

About Us

In 1997, during the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Irish famine, health service staff in Cork and Kerry established SHARP to help relieve poverty both abroad and at home.

Let us remember - Cuimhnímís

Work Done

Currently over 450 staff are members and have contributed over €2M to 263 projects. This has saved and changed the lives of thousands of people who have suffered extreme poverty and deprivation.

The majority of beneficiaries are children.

Not one cent has been spent on administration costs of any organisation, including SHARP.

SHARP members elect the Management Committee.

Our members get reports . You can see where your money has been spent and the good it has done.

Please click on the links above the heading for further information

SHARP makes every € count!

Operating policies and principles

Every cent donated goes directly to projects
Nothing goes to administration costs or salaries of any organisation
No member of SHARP can get any payment from the fund for any reason
All members have free access to the files and records

Examples of our projects (for a full list, click on 'All Projects' above)

Provision of clean water to communities to prevent needless deaths of children
Training and equipping of local midwives to prevent maternal and infant deaths
Feeding programmes for malnourished children
Construction and equipping of rural hospitals
Construction of schools and education of children
Support for disadvantaged families and elderly in Ireland

HSE Approval and support

The HSE Management and Staff support SHARP by:

Facilitating members’ contributions from pay
Auditing the accounts of the Association
Providing all stationery, postage and other administrative requirements
Providing advice and participation in drafting and distributing information and reports
Facilitating information days in hospitals and other large centres
Facilitating presentations to induction and retirement seminars

How we are managed

We are a registered charity (RCN: 20037123), and are compliant with the Irish National Code of Governance. Control over the funds is directly in the hands of our members by means of:

A Constitution, which includes strict rules regarding payments
A Management Committee with a majority elected by the members (two nominated by HSE Management)
An annual audit carried out by senior officers of the HSE
Regular reports to members

How applications are processed

The highest standards of references, usually from an Irish Health Service source, including verification of track record, previous achievements and reliability
Projects are often proposed by staff currently serving in Cork and Kerry
Detailed application and project proposals
Post-implementation reporting

If we all gave as little as €5 per week ... we would raise over €1,000,000 annually!!

Together... we can make a big difference

Ní neart go cur le chéile

SHARP gets the job done!