Children in Crossfire was founded in 1996 by Richard Moore. In 1972, as a 10-year-old boy, Richard was blinded by a rubber bullet fired by a British soldier during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Amazingly from childhood to the present day, he has accepted the loss of his sight without any feelings of anger, bitterness or resentment.

In describing his remarkable acceptance of what, for most, would be a debilitating trauma, he says:

“I learned to see life in a different way, I may have lost my sight, but I did not lose my vision”.

The story of Children in Crossfire, therefore, has its roots in what began as a tragedy and ended as a triumph of the human spirit to overcome adversity. Just as Richard practised compassion in the face of challenge, Children in Crossfire pursues its vision through and with that same compassion. Specifically, it responds to the rights and needs of children and young people caught in the crossfire of global poverty, injustice and inequality by using a Two-Pronged Approach;

1. We work in partnership with organisations in Tanzania and Ethiopia to address the developmental needs of young children whose lives are caught up in the injustice of poverty.
2. We see development education as an important part of our work in Ireland and the UK to introduce people to the structural causes of poverty and help them find a role in making the world a better place.

Change is dependent on people, communities, and governments all working together to ensure that the right conditions are in place.
By addressing the following challenges, we work towards achieving our vision.