Equality Fund 2019
Backing social innovations aimed at strengthening equality and supporting marginalised and vulnerable communities in Ireland.
The Equality Fund is a €400,000 fund created by Rethink Ireland in partnership with the Peter Kinney and Lisa Sandquist Foundation and the Department of Rural and Community Development via the Dormant Accounts Fund.
The objective of the fund is to provide critical supports to social innovations that are aimed at strengthening equality while supporting some of the most marginalised and vulnerable communities in Ireland.
Awardees
CULTURAL ADVOCACY AND MEDIATION PROJECT
Amal Women’s Association is a Muslim Women-led service responding to the needs of women across Ireland. “Amal” is the Arabic word for hope or aspiration. Amal’s “Cultural Advocacy and Mediation Project” (CAMP) will address the difficulties faced by Muslim women and women with connections to the Muslim community. The majority of these women are migrants and, as such, often face difficulties when accessing public services in the context of individual and family crises. CAMP provides peer-led accompaniment and mediation services to Muslim and migrant women, empowering them with access to public services.
LGBT CHAMPIONS PROGRAMME
Designed and initiated in 2018, LGBT Ireland’s LGBT Champions Programme aims to equip older people’s services in Ireland with the confidence and competence to “come out as LGBT friendly”. The LGBT Champions Training Programme addresses the major gap in awareness, knowledge and skills among health and social care staff of the existence and specific needs of older LGBT people using their services. The LGBT Champions project provides LGBT training and networking opportunities, which supports health and social care professionals to build the knowledge and skills which they need to enable older LGBT people in their care to live happy and healthy lives that are free from loneliness, isolation, prejudice and discrimination.
MOVING FORWARD
Moving Forward is an online e-health initiative developed by Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC) in order to increase their capacity to help and support those who have experienced rape and other forms of sexual violence, and to remove barriers to accessing such support. In an innovative approach, they will have an assessment of suitability for the programme by a DRCC therapist, online modules undertaken at the user’s own pace, and telephone support. The programme is targeted towards those on a waiting list for counselling, those who do not want to attend face-to-face counselling, people who may prefer to access web-based information, and those who cannot access services.
STAY SAFE WORK WISE
The mission of Stay Safe Work Wise (SSWW) is to continue the work of Chrysalis’ Sex Work Project, a dedicated service for sex workers. The Stay Safe web resource aims to improve safety for both street-based and indoor sex workers. Stay Safe will have tailored safety content and contacts which will be available online and accessible through smartphones. It will provide information on managing safety while working, along with a directory of other support agencies. It will also provide access to information and support from trained peers and workers. The content will be available in a number of languages to increase its reach to include those from new communities. This is the first of its kind in Ireland. SSWW’s website plans to launch in June.
THE PHOENIX PROGRAMME
One in Four’s vision is an Irish society where children are safe from the threat of sexual harm. One in four Irish people are sexually abused in childhood, with devastating consequences for their lives. Since 2003, they have provided counselling and advocacy services to men and women who have experienced childhood sexual abuse, as wells as their families. Through their unique Phoenix Programme, they provide a structured intervention programme for sex offenders in order to safeguard children from further harm. It offers a systemic therapeutic intervention to sex offenders, their family members and victims of their abuse.
