Afri co-ordinator awarded first NGO award for 'unsung heroes'

The co-ordinator of the human rights and justice group Afri, Mr Joe Murray, has become the first recipient of a new international award aimed at honouring "unsung heroes" in the non-governmental organisation sector.

The award, named after and endorsed by South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his wife Ms Leah Tutu, carries a €5,000 bursary.

Recipients are asked to put the money towards personal rather than campaign use in view of sacrifices they have made for such work in their private lives.

Mr Don Mullan, the campaigning journalist and author of Eyewitness Bloody Sunday, has co-ordinated the initiative with the input of a range of human rights, development and justice groups, including the NGO Alliance. Mr Mullan said the award was aimed at honouring people from Ireland or overseas "who have worked in the background, who have generally low profiles but who, like Joe, have been the backbone of many important campaigns."

An activist with Afri for 21 years, Mr Murray played a prominent role in anti-apartheid demonstrations in the 1980s, including actions supporting the 1984 Dunne's Stores strike.

In events such as Féile Bríde and the Doolough Famine Walk, he helped found a new type of NGO forum, combining education and activism.

Most recently, he was involved in campaigns on East Timor and the Nice Treaty, opposing the EU convention in two referendums because of its perceived impact on Irish neutrality.

In a commendation accompanying the award, Archbishop Tutu said Mr Murray had by his "dedicated witness and commitment over these several years helped to make a huge difference in the lives of many".

Addressing the recipient, the Archbishop added: "We in South Africa owe you and Afri a huge debt of gratitude for your unstinting and unswerving support in the dark days of apartheid.

"But we know you have not been just a one-cause person and for that we thank God and salute you as a champion of freedom and justice everywhere."

Mr Tom Hyland of the East Timor Ireland Solidarity Campaign also paid tribute to Mr Murray, whom he said "we relied upon in our most difficult days.

"This award is a recognition by all the solidarity and campaign groups in Ireland of the tremendous input Joe Murray has made. The true mark of his integrity is that he campaigns on difficult issues that challenge us all. He doesn't take on easy issues that everyone is going to agree upon," Mr Hyland added.