Stories of Success
Press play to learn more about the Irish communities that came together to resettle 20 Syrian families through the Community Sponsorship Programme. Local groups provided housing, integration support, and a welcoming environment that helped each family rebuild their lives with dignity and stability. This collective effort highlighted the power of community in making a lasting impact for refugee families.
Press play to discover the warmth of a “Céad Míle Fáilte” (a hundred thousand welcomes) as shown in Baldoyle, where the Peninsula Community Sponsorship Group is dedicated to welcoming and supporting a refugee family. This video highlights the family’s journey to Ireland and how the group has provided ongoing support to help them integrate smoothly, showcasing the strength of community and the spirit of Irish hospitality.
Press play and learn more about the Community Sponsorship Group Home From Home D6. They worked together to coordinate and support a refugee family relocate from Syria to Ireland safely. The group fundraised over €25,000 from the local community to help support the family for their first two years in Ireland.
Mary Coffey, a local GP in Kells, found a new sense of purpose through her involvement with the Community Sponsorship Ireland programme, where she led the effort to welcome and resettle a Syrian family in her town. The experience transformed her understanding of community and social responsibility.
Mary’s journey began when she formed the Kells Community Sponsorship Group (CSG), a collective effort of local residents who aimed to assist a refugee family. With practical training and guidance from the Irish Red Cross, the CSG took on full responsibility for helping the family integrate into Irish life. From securing housing to setting up bank accounts, arranging English lessons, and enrolling children in school, the CSG provided essential support at every step of the way.
For Mary, this experience was deeply rewarding: “I think it’s one of the most important things I’ve ever done in my life. I feel something in my life and in my person has expanded because of it.”
The Community Sponsorship Ireland programme requires at least five volunteers to form a group, but the enthusiasm in Kells exceeded that number. People from all walks of life came forward, eager to contribute to the family’s successful integration. “We had more than enough people who wanted to help. The training, especially around cultural competence, really made us appreciate all that our little community has to offer,” Mary noted.
One of the key aspects of the programme that resonated with Mary was how it transformed the way people viewed refugees. “Because people think of refugees as someone who is ‘out there’, it can be hard to identify with millions of refugees, but we can identify with real people with real names and real lives,” she explained.
Since helping the family settle, Mary has become a vocal advocate for the Community Sponsorship Ireland programme, and gone on to sponsor two other families and support many individuals. She has encouraged other communities to take part, emphasising that it doesn’t take much to have a profound impact: “We need people to go out and draw out the best in their communities and open people’s eyes to what is going on in the world. It was no burden on anybody; we’re getting back far more than we’ve put into it.”
Text originally published in the Meath Chronicle: Kells community sponsors Syrian refugee family in Ireland | Meath Chronicle
