Peace Building Projects To Receive €9.8 million

Peace-building projects in Northern Ireland have received a €9.8m financial boost as the International Fund for Ireland has announced it is allocate further funds to a variety of reconciliation initiatives. The International Fund for Ireland decided to pump the extra funding into the projects after a recent board meeting held in Monaghan.

The funding forms part of a strategy to focus on and support innovative work around integration in education, housing and family support, said the fund’s chairman Dr Denis Rooney. It will also provide continuing support for community organisations and youth programmes. “This much needed funding will play a critical role in reaching many communities where the benefits of peace-building and reconciliation have yet to be felt," added Rooney.

International donors to the fund include the EU and the governments of the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The extra funding will be allocated specifically to four main areas.

Over €4.1m has been allocated to six projects across the fund's Sharing in Education Programme, which aims to provide training courses for existing teachers across Northern Ireland to assist them in developing awareness and practical skills in dealing with division, diversity, inclusion and community relations in both the classroom and the wider school environment.

More than €2.5m has been given to the fund's Community Based Economic and Social Regeneration Programme to provide innovative cross-community and cross-border intervention activities in some of the border’s most socially and economically-disadvantaged communities.

The Community Bridges Programme has been awarded €1.5m for five projects that aim to provide a range of cultural experiences that will challenge social prejudice, segregation and division from a young person's perspective.

Finally, over €1m has been allocated to the Donegal County Council and Strabane District Council under the Leaving A Legacy Programme.