A NEW organisation, International Orphan Aid Ireland, set up in response to the Channel 4 documentary Return to the Dying Rooms, was formally launched in Dublin yesterday.
Its founders, Mr Eugene McDonald, Mrs Sally Keaveney and Ms Karen Murphy, have already been pledged some Pounds 80,000 by individuals and companies.
They have set a target of Pounds 500,000, which they believe could set up and staff three orphanages in China. Their first project is called "Friends of Chinese Orphans".
Established two weeks ago, the group has received support from the public and some politicians.
It has also received apparent recognition from the Chinese Ambassador, Ms Huijan Fan, who acknowledged its tack of bias at a press briefing on Thursday in response to the film.
The group has an appointment to meet Ms Fan on February 6th, two days before Return to the Dying Rooms is shown on RTE One.
"Our initial response to the documentary was one of shock," Mr McDonald said yesterday.
"However, we have since discovered that while the state of some orphanages is appalling, this is simply due to the size of the Chinese population and the extreme demands on the welfare system there.
"This is an unfortunate situation and our aim is to play a role of co ordination with the authorities in China."
The organisation hopes, in time, to assist abandoned and orphaned children in many more countries. It also hopes to get an adoption agreement between Ireland and China.
From Monday, the group will be working from an office at 19A Main Street, Blackrock, Co Dublin (Tel: 01 278 1234; Fax: 01 278 1235).
There will also be a freephone number: 1-800-282930. Donations can be made by direct debit to AIB Bank, Lansdowne Road, Dublin 4. The account number is: 05809069, sort code: 93-12-68.