Doras Community Sponsorship programme launched in Midwest; engaging communities to welcome refugee families

Doras Community Sponsorship programme is running an event this Monday, February 22

Doras Community Sponsorship programme launched in Midwest; engaging communities to welcome refugee families

The migrant support and human rights organisation Doras is launching a new Community Sponsorship initiative in the Midwest that will enable neighbours, friends, or members of a local club or church community to come together to provide support for refugee families. Doras will begin engaging with communities in counties Tipperary, Limerick, and Clare in the coming months, with the aim of organising and assisting groups to welcome and support refugee families, mainly from Syria. These families will be resettled from camps in countries such as Jordan and Lebanon as part of this exciting new venture.

“We are delighted to be a Regional Support Organisation (RSO) for new Community Sponsorship opportunities in Ireland’s Mid-West region, and can’t wait to engage with communities”, said John Lannon, Doras CEO. “Doras completed five years of successful refugee resettlement programmes at the end of 2019, and we are looking forward to applying that experience to Community Sponsorship, by engaging and supporting local groups to welcome new families to their communities.”

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Developed in Canada in the late 1970s, Community Sponsorship began in the East and South of Ireland in early 2018, with the first family resettled under the initiative moving to County Meath later that year. As part of the initiative, local groups work together to make the family’s move to Ireland as smooth as possible by sourcing accommodation, arranging local supports like doctors and language interpreters, introducing the family to the local community; and, most importantly, offering them a sense of belonging in their new home.

Join us next Monday 22nd February at 6pm to learn more about how you can welcome refugee families into your community in #Limerick, #Tipperary & #Clare through Community Sponsorship!

Link to register: https://t.co/UaNm2r9hgc pic.twitter.com/ky4DafxsYW

— Doras (@DorasIRL) February 16, 2021

Doras is partnering with Clare Immigrant Support Centre, an Ennis-based organization supporting migrant communities in County Clare, in delivering the project.

“Clare Immigrant Support Centre are delighted to be partnering with Doras in promoting and implementing Community Sponsorship in Clare,” said Orla Ní Éilí, Coordinator for Clare Immigrant Support Centre. “This practical mechanism of support is very important as there are so many people in desperate situations worldwide needing the opportunity to settle in safe and welcoming communities that can no doubt be established in Clare, Limerick, and Tipperary.”

Ahmed Hassan Mohamed, Community Sponsorship Support Worker with Doras, will oversee the project.

“I look forward to meeting with interested groups in towns and villages across the Mid- West when it is safe to do so,” said Ahmed, “And in the meantime, I am available to discuss the rich benefits of Community Sponsorship for all parties, as well as talking through the steps to take to bring a refugee family in desperate need of security and stability to Ireland.”

“We encourage groups and networks of any size who are interested in supporting people seeking protection from war and persecution to get in touch with Doras, to explore how we can respond and let people know that refugees are welcome here. We are already delighted to be engaging with a community in North Tipperary, and look forward to meeting more groups soon.”

Doras are hosting an online event to launch the project at 6 pm on Monday, February 22 where they will provide information for anyone who wants to learn more about Community Sponsorship and supporting people from a refugee background in Ireland. 

To register and for further information go HERE 

For more stories on Doras go HERE