Read our 2025 annual report
Knowledge Hub
Concern Worldwide is one of Ireland's leading international humanitarian organisations. Founded in Ireland in 1968, we strive for a world free from poverty, fear and oppression.
We deliver life-saving and life-changing interventions to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable communities. From rapid emergency response to innovative development programming, we go to the hardest-to-reach places to make sure that no one is left behind.
What we do
Our mission is to help people living in extreme poverty achieve major improvements in their lives that last and grow without requiring our ongoing support.
Our role is to ensure that the people we work with are able to meet their basic needs, assert their rights, and manage their own development. We do this by working hand-in-hand with communities, using our shared experience and knowledge to address the root causes of extreme poverty.
Concern is a dual-mandate organisation, meaning that we engage in both long-term development work and emergency response.
Where we work
Currently, Concern Worldwide works in 23 countries and territories around the world. This includes 14 countries throughout Africa, four countries in the Middle East, and three in central and southeast Asia. We also work in Haiti and Ukraine.
Last year, our work reached over 23 million people, including many in the hardest-to-reach and most fragile contexts.
Our approach to ending poverty
Concern’s vision is that of a world where no one lives in poverty, fear, or oppression and all people have access to a decent standard of living and the opportunities and choices essential to a long, healthy, and creative life.
Our approach to ending poverty is informed by this vision, as well as our understanding of how extreme poverty works. We investigate the root causes of poverty in each specific country and community where we work and design programmes to address these causes.
Many of the communities where we work face both ongoing risks — such as conflict or climate disasters — and we also work with them to build resilience against these risks and the financial and social safety nets that will help them through future emergencies.
Our history
Concern began in the Dublin home of John and Kay O’Loughlin-Kennedy in 1968. They established Concern Africa in response to a developing famine in the breakaway province of Biafra, Nigeria, with John as honourary secretary and Kay as volunteer company secretary.
The previous year, Father Raymond Kennedy – John’s brother – had returned to Ireland from Nigeria with news about the ongoing crisis. John, Kay, and Raymond helped to raise funds for the first of a series of “mercy flights” to deliver aid to the region. The extraordinarily generous response from the Irish public continued, and within its first year Concern raised the equivalent of €75 million today.
Transparency
Public trust and confidence are very important to us, and accountability and transparency are part of our core values as an organisation. We work hard to ensure we are transparent in our governance and management.
87.4%
of your donations go directly into our programmes.
9.3%
Fundraising
2.6%
Global Citizenship and Advocacy
0.7%
Governance
Frequently asked questions
1. Is Concern a charity?
Yes. We are a non-governmental international humanitarian aid organisation. Our Registered Charity Number in Ireland is: 20009090.
2. Is Concern a reputable charity?
3. Is Concern effective?
4. How much does the CEO of Concern earn?
5. What happens to the money I donate to Concern?
6. Who funds Concern?
7. Where is the office for Concern Ireland?
Get involved
There are a number of ways to support Concern Worldwide.
Donate
Individual donations allow us to reach more people with our programmes and emergency responses. You can give your support where it’s needed most, or support one of our current emergency appeals.
Fundraise for Concern
Concern Gifts
Other ways to give
Philanthropy & Major Gifts
Corporate Support
Volunteer with Concern
Work with us
