Mayo Intercultultural Action funding will help provide jobs

04. OCT, 2010

Therese Ruane co-founder of Mayo Intercultural Action.

Minister of State for Equality, Integration and Human Rights, Ms. Mary White, T.D., has announced that MIA is to receive €49,750 under the Equality for Women Measure.

MIA has received funding to deliver the project Acting Locally – Growing Real Opportunities for Women (GROW) .

Through this project migrant women who are budding entrepreneurs will be supported to develop their business ideas; mentoring and training will be provided as well as building links to existing supports that are availalbe in the community.

MIA will also be exploring the development of business cooperatives for women.

Mayo Intercultural Action has also been successful in its application for funding under the European Refugee Fund.

MIA is amongst a small number of organisations in the country which supports asylum-seekers and refugees in the country that has been awarded this funding. The award of this grant is a great achievement for the organisation, County Mayo and most importantly for the asylum-seekers and refugees that will benefit from the project.

Under this scheme MIA will implement an innovative project called Different Together – Building a Sustainable Model of Integration. This exciting pilot project will promote the sustainable integration of refugees in Co. Mayo and work to create positive and sustainable communities for everyone living in Mayo.

One of the aims of the project is to equip refugees to participate in and engage with their local community. As part of the project MIA will deliver an accredited training programme in Community Work in a Changing Ireland, as well as various other relevant topics. This project will develop a model of integration that can be replicated in other counties in Ireland.

Thérèse Ruane, co-founder of MIA said: “We’re really pleased that this project has been granted EU funding. It’s a real achievement and an acknowledgment of the work of MIA over the years.

“This project is very innovative and will benefit greatly refugees in Mayo as well as developing and promoting a sustainable model of integration, which can then be replicated across the country.

“We’ll be working in collaboration with partner organisations such as the Mayo County Development Board, Mayo Rape Crisis Centre and GMIT as well as An Gárda Síochána, Castlebar Town Council, HSE, Citizen Information Service, South West Mayo Development Company, Mayo North East, Mayo Community Forum, Galway Refugee Support Group, Castlebar Community Radio, SIPTU.”

MIA would like to sincerely thank the many partner organisations for their support and we are looking forward to working together on this project