Help Galway Community to Welcome Refugee Student
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Hi everyone!
We are Pobal na Gaillimhe - CSGalway, a community group composed of students, university staff and civil society members who are working towards welcoming and supporting the newest members of our community, two refugee students.
For them to join us in Galway, we need to raise over 10,000 €.
The beneficiaries of this safe pathway to Ireland are two young refugees currently living in Nigeria. One was displaced from Cameroon and the other from the Republic of Congo. In both countries, young people’s lives are often uprooted by conflict and extreme violence. Despite its generosity, Nigeria, as a middle/low-income country, only has the capacity to provide the over 90,000 refugees it hosts with basic necessities. This means many refugees have limited access to education or employment opportunities. As a result, those who have fled their homes have no chance to pursue their goals and keep learning.
By creating a safe way for them to reach Ireland, students have an opportunity to reach their goals and enjoy their human right to education, without having to take deadly risks to get to Europe.
What is Community Sponsorship?
Community Sponsorship is when a group of people collaborate to welcome refugee(s) to come to a country safely and resettle there. Our group effectively forms a support system for the two students.
Our goal is to:
- Remove any barriers that may prevent the student from seizing opportunities coming their way – that means providing administrative support, emotional support, signposting them to services they might need, securing accommodation and facilitating integration in Galway’s social and cultural life
- Financially support the student throughout a one-year Master’s degree.
In order to do that, we need to raise over 10,000 € which will cover the living costs for the student throughout the academic year.
And this is where you come in!
Groups like ours are all over Ireland and their success hinges on communities coming together and helping each other. You can make a huge difference, even with a small contribution. Reaching our fundraising goal means secure, safe passage to Ireland for two refugees looking to begin a new chapter of their lives. It also means support for our group working to welcome a new member to our community!
Here are some of the things we achieved so far:
- Ensured a write-down in fees from the University of Galway and establishment of a Scholarship for a Taught Postgraduate Masters in the College of Science and Engineering
- Secured over € 3,000 in additional funding!
- Secured pledges of financial support from City Councillors
- Secured on-campus accommodation
And we just got started!
Pobal na Gaillimhe will be the first group in Ireland to welcome students instead of a family. This educational pathway is supported by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency in Ireland and Nasc,the Migrant and Refugee Rights Centre under the EU Passworld Project.
The Master's programme will equip the student with the skills and knowledge necessary to enter the job market in Ireland, while the support and friendship of the Galway Community will foster integration, to make the most of Irish life.
Our ultimate goal would be for this to become a recurring initiative and spread to all universities in Ireland! Educational pathways such as this one aim to make the student’s own abilities bloom and enhance refugee self-reliance and achieve durable solutions! As this is a pilot project, our success will likely inspire many other Irish universities who are considering starting their own Educational Pathway.
Help welcome and create opportunities for refugees, support your community, donate!
Feel free to contacts us by email at: [email redacted]
And follow us on
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/csgalway/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/csgalway
Organizer
CSGalway Pobal Na Gaillimhe
Organizer