ODA by country: Who's getting the most – and how much?

Ireland is one of the few countries to increase foreign assistance at a time where other nations are making significant cuts, even as humanitarian needs are on the rise. But where is that money going? 

Every year (usually around late September/early October), Irish Aid publishes its annual report, including a full accounting of how much overseas development assistance went to each country. Read on to see which countries got the most, and how some of those funds helped Concern to reach thousands of the most vulnerable families around the world. 

1. Ethiopia (€40,891,000)
2. Ukraine (€33,887,000)
3. Occupied Palestinian Territories (€30,460,000)
4. Mozambique (€26,074,000)
5. Tanzania (€25,998,000)
6. Malawi (€24,959,000)
7. Uganda (€21,466,000)
8. Sierra Leone (€19,004,000)
9. South Sudan (€14,484,000)
10.  Sudan (€11,440,000)

Read on to see how Irish Aid’s funding in recent years has reached Concern’s programme participants in Ethiopia, Ukraine, Malawi, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Sudan.

Ireland established diplomatic relations with Ethiopia in 1994, but our support of the country goes further back. It was the third country Concern began working in, when we responded to the Wollo Famine in 1973-74. 

In that time, the country has made significant strides in reducing poverty and improving economic growth. Between 2007 and 2018, it saw 9.9% annual economic growth, and between 2011 and 2016, 2.4 million people escaped the cycle of poverty. However, recent conflict has impacted communities in the north, and erratic rainfall has led to a protracted drought leaving millions of people facing both poverty and hunger. 

With a €15 million investment over three years from Irish Aid, Concern is working to address these issues, working with communities in the Mandera Triangle – a cross-border area where Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia meet - with the Hanaano programme. Meaning “to nurture” in the Somali language, Hanaano will work with 300,000 participants to identify practical solutions to hunger, community-by-community and family-by-family. 

Hanaano ensures access to safe and nutritious food, provides crucial nutrition education, and improves access to clean water. It also helps participants build climate-resilient livelihoods so that they can grow food, earn a decent income, and support their families even as weather patterns change. The programme places communities at the centre of the equation and brings in local partners to create lasting change that won’t depend on Concern in the long term. 

Last year in Ethiopia, the Hanaano project reached over 47,800 participants with critical support during a prolonged drought season. 

Irish Aid has supported Concern in our Joint Emergency Response in Ukraine since the first year of the conflict. Most recently, they have partnered with us again to fund a project designed to enhance community resilience and access to key services in the Mykolaiv oblast (one of the regions closest to the frontlines). 

The initiative builds on the success JERU saw with a similar programme distributing group cash transfers in Kharkiv oblast. One of the community-led projects that stemmed from these transfers reached 450 community members with simple but critical services. Likewise, in Mykolaiv, we will respond to urgent, community-identified needs by providing 75 group cash transfers to small groups (usually five people or fewer) who are then able to take action and support immediate relief and stability in their communities. By placing agency in the hands of those most impacted, the intervention delivers a more timely, contextually-appropriate, and dignified response. Projects will focus on needs including shelter construction and rehabilitation, water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure, and food security. 

The project will also deliver protection services to communities affected by the conflict, including psychosocial support for both adults and children, awareness-raising sessions, and individual counselling. 

In 2023, Concern launched Food Systems for Food Security (FS4FS), a five-year programme funded by Irish Aid. Working in the Lilongwe Rural and Mchinji Districts, the programme takes an integrated approach to supporting the four key pillars of food security: availability, access, utilisation, and stability. 

The vision is for families to reduce both poverty and hunger at home by building livelihoods along the food value chains, and promotes crop diversity, Climate Smart Agriculture, and strengthening links between farmers, the private sector, and markets. Through FS4FS and with two local partners on the project, we’re also generating learning and evidence to influence national policies and strategies related to food and nutrition security. 

Last year, we saw 18,000 participants in FS4FS, many of whom were able to see improved quality and quantity of harvests, putting enough food on the table at home while giving them more to work with at market. Our “lead farmer” model trained 350 participants in Climate Smart Agriculture, agroforestry, and crop diversification. They subsequently trained 2,500 other farmers on these practices, creating community support and localised expertise. 

A similar “pass-on” effect with chickens was also a success: An initial investment of 1,200 chickens has grown into over 4,300 chickens shared across 340 families. The eggs are both a steady source of protein and a pathway to more income. FS4FS’s advocacy efforts also reached over 3 million viewers with a national media campaign on food and nutrition security. 

Since the end of its brutal civil war in 2002, Sierra Leone has made significant strides towards eradicating poverty, hunger, and one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. However, it’s also faced challenges since then – including the world’s largest Ebola outbreak between 2014-16, the knock-on effects of the Covid pandemic, ongoing food and nutrition security challenges, climate shocks, and donor fatigue. 

Concern Sierra Leone has spent 30 years working to address these challenges, and one of our current programmes is the Irish Aid-funded “Food and Nutrition Security through Equitable and Climate Smart Food Systems.” Also known as Yoti Yoti, the project is addressing the linked causes of poverty and malnutrition in five chiefdoms across Tonkolili and Port Loko districts. Our focus is on rural communities, where we can tailor solutions to agriculture, livelihoods, and nutrition. 

Much like FS4FS in Malawi, Yoti Yoti has seen success through the lead farmer system, with techniques including an improved cultivation method for rice (a key staple in Sierra Leone). The adoption rate for improved farming practices increased from 5% at baseline to 50% in 2025, doubling the average number of crops grown per family. In tandem with this, Yoti Yoti works with families to improve health and nutrition at home through cooking demonstrations, hygiene support, and safe water use. 

We’ve also provided business training to support new livelihood activities and established Village Savings and Loans Associations that now have over 5,200 members. These participants have used their newfound social funds to further strengthen community resilience by rehabilitating schools, responding to local emergencies, and installing solar lights.

One of the four key pillars of Ireland’s development policy is to reduce humanitarian need. At a time where we are seeing increasing humanitarian crises – and an increasing number of “forgotten” humanitarian crises – this work is critical.

Irish Aid’s funding streams include one dedicated specifically to supporting chronic humanitarian crises, which is an accurate description of the crisis in South Sudan. The country’s first 15 years have been shaped by conflict, famine, and natural disasters, including catastrophic floods in 2025 that affected more than 1 million people across six of the country’s 10 states. 

Concern is prepared for these emergencies, and our ability to respond was complemented by Irish Aid’s Chronic Humanitarian Crisis funding. We were able to quickly provide multipurpose cash assistance to 4,800 people in Guit County to help with recovery (cash assistance provides more flexibility than in-kind donations and is more effective in a crisis). We distributed 717,500 South Sudanese Pounds to each family, resulting in a total disbursement of 574 million SSP (approximately €110,000). 

Sudan is currently the site of the worst humanitarian crisis in modern history as the conflict that broke out in April 2023 nears its fourth year. Irish Aid’s Chronic Humanitarian Crisis funding extends to Concern’s work in Sudan as well, including the 3-year Humanitarian Integrated Lifesaving Programme (HELP) in West Darfur. 

Ireland’s investment in HELP has allowed us to support four clinics in an overburdened healthcare system by rehabilitating their sanitation and hygiene facilities. The investment will provide latrines, incinerators, waste disposal pits and handwashing stations, as well as other essentials for one of the hardest-hit regions of the country. Last year, HELP reached over 35,000 people.