RoadtoKinsale: Bringing a Syrian family to Kinsale

“Imagine a day where your family, home, community, environment, career, health, safety and security are blown apart by a cruel & relentless civil war, forcing you to drop everything and run for your very life, leaving behind all you have known and lived by? This is exactly what has happened to ordinary people like us, in Syria. It could just as easily be us.”
-Volunteers of Road to Kinsale.

Road to Kinsale is a Community Sponsorship project initiated by a Kinsale-based group linked together by a desire to offer a helping hand to those displaced in one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises of our time. In witnessing the atrocities of the Syrian Civil War and the resulting 11 million displaced Syrians, our group felt they couldn’t be bystanders and wanted to do something real to help. And you can help too.

Through the scheme the family, that has been Garda vetted and approved by the Irish Government, will come to Ireland and will be integrated into our community in Kinsale, rather than enter a traditional emergency reception and orientation centre. Join us in supporting this family and doing something to tackle this humanitarian crisis.

Ours is a Government-led programme, executed by a local, 100% voluntary team with knowledge in housing, medicine, NGO’s, PR, English language tuition, education & training, employment, child safeguarding, local authority knowledge, sporting, cultural and worship knowledge and links.

This programme was developed by the Irish Government in cooperation with the Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative (GSRI), the Irish Red Cross, NASC, Irish Refugee Council and the UNHCR.

The ambition is that within 24 months, the family will become part of Kinsale’s vibrant community and be in employment.

Eligibility for the programme requires that local private housing is sourced and secured for a minimum of 24 months, a minimum of €10,000 is fundraised, a full welcome, arrival & settlement plan is prepared and executed (medical, dental, banking school, etc), and ongoing support for 24 months is provided.

Fundraising for this project is now well underway and all donations to assist our work will make a huge difference. 100% of funds raised will be directly applied to financially supporting the family assigned to Kinsale while they settle and become integrated to our wonderful community.

The funds from this campaign will be withdrawn to a Bank of Ireland bank account set up exclusively for this project, in the joint names of two members of this group-Maire Carney and Sarah Jane Larkin; who are fully accountable to the group in all transactions.

From this account, the funds will be used for the following-
-Purchase of clothing, furniture, food and household items
-Pay towards rental costs
-Fund English language lessons
-Contribute towards transportation costs.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and consider supporting this worthwhile project

We are:

Maire Carney 
Susie Travers
David Simpson
Sally Simpson 
Maureen Judge 
Siobhan Howe
Marguerite Condon
Margaret McCarthy
Emma Crushell
Olive O’Driscoll 
Allison Aldred
Adrian Neville 
Clodagh Murray 
Aine Kelly
Sara Hunt 
Gerard O’Leary
Joesphine O’Leary
Jenny Hurley
Stephanie O’Flynn
Claire Padgham
Louise Howard
Carol McNamara
Sarah Jane Larkin
Hallam Johnston 
Claudia Johnston 
Alana Conroy
Madeleine Murray 
Carol Nyhan  
Padraig Fahey
Una O’Sullivan 
Lizzy Healy 

This is a video of a family that has already been welcomed to Dunshaughlin in Co.Meath.  We hope to welcome the Kinsale family in the same way.