The new edition of the British Catholic paper the Catholic Herald, features Scottish International Relief, ministering to the poorest of the poor:

For Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, the poverty in Haiti is the worst he has ever seen. The founder and director of the charity Scottish International Relief (SIR) speaks from a wealth of experience as his organisation, one of Scotland’s most respected homegrown charities, has on-going humanitarian projects in places such as Kenya, Liberia and India.

MacFarlane-Barrow, a 38-year-old devout Catholic, travels widely to oversee its work. He recently set up Mary’s Meals in Haiti and is working with an American charity called Hands Together, which runs seven schools in Cité Soleil.

MacFarlane-Barrow says the horror of Haiti is unsurpassed. “I was deeply shocked by what I saw. I thought I had seen quite a lot over the years in terms of suffering but this was the most extreme I had ever witnessed. Even in war zones like Bosnia or Liberia, or after disasters like the tsunami, I have not seen people so utterly stripped of their dignity.” Since its inception 14 years ago, SIR has become a highly effective overseas aid organisation and MacFarlane-Barrow runs the global operation from a tiny shed in the grounds of Craig Lodge near the small village of Dalmally in Argyll, juggling his workload with being a dad to five young children. “I am away perhaps eight to 10 weeks during the year. I don’t want to be away from my wife Julie and children any longer than that,” he says.

SIR began by accident in 1992 after MacFarlane-Barrow watched graphic television reports of refugee camps during the Bosnian war. It struck a chord with him and his older brother Fergus as they had previously made a pilgrimage to Medjugorje, so they began raising money to drive a Land Rover to the region filled with clothes, food and medicine. When they returned from Bosnia, thinking their good deed was done, they found the donations kept coming.

The group’s website – very, very impressive.