THREE Donegal projects have received funding from the International Fund for Ireland (IFI) Peace Fund.
The International Fund for Ireland (IFI) has announced its latest round of funding aimed at supporting some of the most vulnerable communities in Northern Ireland and the southern border counties.
A funding package of €4,884,800 / £4,322,833 will provide support to 25 projects across the IFI’s four programmes, all aimed at delivering tailored support to communities who need it.
The funding allocation comes at an important juncture in peace and reconciliation across the island of Ireland, with local communities dealing with a range of challenges that are impacting community relations and prosperity.
Rathmullan The Way Forward CLG and Enterprise Causeway Limited will use €242,006, allocated under the IFI’s Communities in Partnership Programme (CiPP) to deliver an 18-month cross-border ‘Coasts, Hills, and Glens – Connecting Communities’ project in Rathmullan in County Donegal and Coleraine. The project is focused on Community Innovation and aims to connect groups, committees, and their representatives in meaningful ways to enable joint working on community needs, issues, and challenges.
AGD Gweedore and Waterside Theatre Project will receive €79,450 under the IFI’s Communities in Partnership Programme (CiPP) which will support a 16 month ‘Cross-Border Creative Arts Programme’ in County Donegal and the Waterside of Derry City. The project has been designed to support community dialogue across a range of themes which connect Unionist and Nationalist communities, through history, language, and cultural heritage.
Finally, Northwest Cultural Partnership and Inishowen Development Partnership allocated €146,900, also under the IFI’s Communities in Partnership Programme (CiPP), will deliver a 21-month Cross-border Cultural Collaboration Programme across the Derry City and Strabane District Council and Donegal County Council areas.
The project will provide creative opportunities to develop effective and meaningful relations across border communities allowing participants from both sides of the border to engage and become empowered.
IFI Chair Paddy Harte said, “Unfortunately, we have seen the threat of paramilitary recruitment and antisocial behaviour persist in many communities.
“In the last year, the IFI’s programmes have included specialised interventions to divert young people away from the threat of paramilitary recruitment. In 2022, 23,033 participants took part in accredited training, education, and capacity building programmes, delivered by IFI funded projects.
“Projects funded across our four core programmes have been working hard to support local communities who are struggling. The cost-of-living crisis has put a significant financial burden on people, add to that a general lack of investment in some communities and ongoing tensions relating to the recent Windsor Framework and ongoing political instability, and you can see why this support is so vital.
“This latest round of funding further demonstrates the wide range of support offered by IFI funded projects, tailored to specific needs of a particular community. From engaging at risk young people, to delivering conflict transformation initiatives, delivering important employment, and training opportunities to working in hard-to-reach areas struggling with paramilitary and coercive control,” said Mr Harte.
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