Groups and communities are being sought in Tipperary to welcome refugee families

The migrant support and human rights organisation Doras has launched a new initiative in the mid-west that will enable neighbours, friends or members of a local club or church community to come together to provide support for refugee families. 

Doras is working to engage with communities in County Tipperary 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.”   

Developed in Canada in the late 1970s, community sponsorship began in the south and east 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.   

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 Tipperary when it is safe to do so,” said Ahmed. 

“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 individuals, 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 working with a community in north Tipperary, and look forward to meeting more groups soon.”   

To learn more about Doras Community Sponsorship project and supporting people from a refugee background in Ireland, please visit www.doras.org/community- sponsorship/ or email community@doras.org