‘Please keep us in your prayers’ – Irish aid worker Gena Heraty honoured for lifetime commitment to humanitarian work
“Please keep us in your prayers, don’t ever doubt the power of prayer,” were the words of Gena Heraty as she accepted the Special Recognition Award at the annual Mayo County Council Cathaoirelach Awards.
Ms Heraty, originally from Liscarney in Westport, was honoured for her dedication to helping those in need and for her lifetime commitment to caring for children in the orphanage where she works in Haiti.
At the ceremony, held at Breaffy House in Castlebar, she was described as the epitome of everything that is great about County Mayo, a person who embodies love, compassion, leadership and an unbreakable spirit.
That spirit was witnessed by the nation last August when Ms Heraty, along with six other members of staff at the orphanage and a young child, were kidnapped from their place of work in Kenscoff. They spent 27 days in captivity before being released.
Despite enduring such a harrowing ordeal, Ms Heraty has continued to spread a message of kindness, faith and forgiveness.
In the aftermath of the kidnapping, she also spoke with compassion about her captors, expressing an understanding of the motivations that drove their actions.
Addressing the awards ceremony from Haiti via video call, Ms Heraty thanked everyone “from the bottom of her heart”, describing the recognition as both a “huge honour” and a “shock” as she had not expected it.
Her heartfelt words brought the audience of more than 400 people to their feet in a massive round of applause in recognition of her humanitarian work.
Reflecting on receiving the award, Ms Heraty said her thoughts quickly turned to others whose work often goes unseen.
She spoke of “the many other wonderful people all around the world, Mayo people, [and] probably nobody hears about them, nobody knows their story”.
While acknowledging that more people have become aware of her story in the past year, she used the moment to recognise “all the people that we never hear about” who she said “would be very worthy of an award”.
Speaking humbly about the recognition, Ms Heraty reflected on how life experiences shape perspective and gratitude.
“I think the older we live in life, the more we see things in a different way. We see all the struggles of people and how difficult it is for people to get through days
“If we are lucky enough to be able to be here today, then I think we have a lot to be thankful for. That’s the predominant feeling that I have right now, especially after all we have been through in the last while,” she said.
True to her modest nature, she also used the opportunity to highlight the dedication of the people she works alongside.
My family deserve this award more than I do, especially for all they’ve been through all these years
Ms Heraty said that if anyone deserved the award, it was the families and colleagues she works with and the people of Haiti that she is “fortunate enough to be able to work [with] and serve in many ways.”
Among those present at the ceremony were members of Ms Heraty’s family, to whom she paid tribute for their unwavering support during the three decades she has spent working in Haiti - a time that has seen her face many challenges.
“My family deserve this award more than I do, especially for all they’ve been through all these years,
“It was my choice, my decision to come to Haiti, and they’ve had to follow along, hurricanes, earthquakes, personal attack, kidnappings, and God love them - they've been with me every step of the way,” she said
Ms Heraty explained that she was accepting the award on behalf of her colleagues, her family in Haiti and her family in Ireland, and thanked the many people who have supported her work over the years, particularly those at home in Mayo.
"I want to thank you most sincerely for all these years of supporting ‘that Mayo woman’ who’s out in Haiti,
“A lot of people know about me, and even more so now since the kidnapping, but so many people have been supporting our work all these years,” she said.
While her name made headlines last year following the kidnapping, Ms Heraty emphasised that the work being done in the orphanage in Haiti is the result of a much wider team of volunteers dedicated to improving the lives of the children in their care.
She also spoke warmly of another Mayo woman serving in Haiti , Sister Rose Kelly from Castlebar, who works in the north of the country.
“We are always in touch, and we are always in touch when there’s a Mayo match - so fair play to the Mayo team and their great effort so far, it’s fantastic for us,
She explained that the pair regularly message each other during matches, reminding one another to tune into Midwest Radio for updates so they can keep track of Mayo’s results.
“It’s a great connection, she’s a wonderful Sister and she would be equally deserving of such an award as well,” she said.
Ms Heraty once again thanked those present for the award, and sent her love from Haiti and closed her speech with a message rooted in faith.
“Please keep us in your prayers. Don’t ever doubt the power of prayer. Every time I talk to somebody, I reinforce it, keep praying,
“Anyone that’s struggling or having things tough - just throw it out there ‘I am in trouble, help me Lord’, and you never know what comes your way.”
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.