Blog – Comhlamh

By Mark Malone

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Culture Night 2019

Culture Night 2019 Ireland Says Welcome @ Comhlámh “Following the great success of the human library and music from Kaleidoscope Collective at Culture Night last year we are delighted to announce our entertainment for Culture Night 2019! We look forward to welcoming both return visitors and new faces to Culture Night at Comhlamh, Parliament St, […]

Nepal Day 2019

Nepal Day 2019 Comhlamh attended Nepal Day over the weekend just past. This from Ruth Powell. Check out our Volunteering Options page for more information and resources about responsible volunteering

By Mark Malone

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Project Officer, Sustaining Civic Responses to Migration (Erasmus+)

Project Officer, Sustaining Civic Responses to Migration (Erasmus+) Job Description Job Title: Sustaining Civic Responses to Migration – Project Officer Reports to: Programme Manager Location: 12 Parliament Street, Dublin 2 Comhlámh is a member organisation that works to mobilise for an equitable and sustainable world. As the Irish association of development workers and volunteers, Comhlámh promotes […]

IC4LOP Launch

IC4LOP Launch On June 21st, we held the launch event for our latest Erasmus+ funded project, ‘International Citizens for Local Perspectives’ (IC4LOP). We were delighted to host over 50 representatives of migrant support organisations, volunteer sending agencies, and other national organisations in Wood Quay for a very engaged programme. The project aims to create innovative […]

By Mark Malone

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Irish Aid Volunteering Fair 2019

Dates for the Irish Aid Volunteering Fair 2019 have been confirmed When: Saturday 9th November 2019. 11am-4pm Where: Hibernia Conference Centre, Dublin Castle Come along if you would like to meet returned volunteers and staff from more than 35 volunteer sending agencies. Come along if you would like to participate in interactive workshops and hear from people […]

Massive Attack Remix for Extinction Rebellion short.

The Deliberate Rebellion is a short film commissioned by Extinction Rebellion UK and made by All Hands On. The film examines Extinction Rebellion’s demand that Government must create and be led by the decisions of a Citizens’ Assembly on climate and ecological justice. The film is directed and produced by ex-Reuters reporter Patrick Chalmers. Music […]

By Mark Malone

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Supporting Returned Volunteers and Young Migrants to Work for Global Justice: Cork

Comhlámh would like to invite you to an information day about our new Erasmus+ funded project, ‘International Citizens for Local Perspectives’.Join us to: Examine how we can develop connections between young return international volunteers and young migrants from the global south to develop global justice action projects; Learn more about a new app that’s mapping integration […]

Comhlámh Global Trade Justice Course 2019

When : Thursday evenings 18:30 – 21:30pm 16th Sep – 24th Oct 2019 Where: Comhlámh offices, 12 Parliament Street, Dublin 2. This course is open to anyone interested in learning about the impact of international trade on the global economy. Are you interested in finding out how trade structures affect your life and those in […]

By Mark Malone

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By Mark Malone

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Supporting Returned Volunteers and Young Migrants to Work for Global Justice

Comhlámh would like to invite you to an information day about our new Erasmus+ funded project, ‘International Citizens for Local Perspectives’.Join us to: Examine how we can develop connections between young return international volunteers and young migrants from the global south to develop global justice action projects; Learn more about a new app that’s mapping integration […]

Comhlámh’s friend Maurice Hurley is looking for fellow cyclists to join him on a fundraising cycle.

“Myself and some friends in ATD Ireland (All Together in Dignity) are organising the Dublin to Paris cycle for a few reasons. Officially we are raising awareness about the SDG’s or as I prefer to call them “The 17 Global Goals” which basically aim to eradicate extreme poverty everywhere, make the world a fairer place […]

By Mark Malone

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By Mark Malone

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Three events tomorrow night you should know about!

Three events on Wednesday 17th July that our members and supporters might be interested in. In our own offices, MASI – Movement of Asylum Seekers Ireland are hosting an open conference planning meeting. MASI are having its first conference in Liberty Hall on Saturday 5th October “marking five years since we first came together in […]

Direct Provision Explainer: The journey of people seeking asylum in Ireland

To coincide with World Refugee Day 2019 Comhlámh’s ‘Ireland Says Welcome’ group would like to share this Direct Provision Explainer to highlight some of the continuing issues with Ireland’s system for accommodating people seeking asylum in this country. This one page graphic is a resource to help people fill in any gaps they may have […]

By Mark Malone

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By Mark Malone

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SUBMISSION TO OIREACHTAS JOINT COMMITTEE ON JUSTICE & EQUALITY DIRECT PROVISION & THE INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION PROCESS

The purpose of this submission is to express our conviction that DP is not an adequate system and should be ended – and to make recommendations for improvements which would be led by the rights of the asylum-seeker rather than the economics of the state. Ireland Says Welcome submission paper. May 2019 In May past […]

Comhlámh’s 2018 Annual Report

Previous Annual Reports can be found in our About Us section here

By Mark Malone

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By Mark Malone

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An evening with Séan Ó Tuathaigh

On the 27 June, author Séan Ó Tuathaigh will be here in the Comhlámh offices for an evening of questions and answers about his new book “Outlanders: Stories of the displaced”. Beforehand we caught up with him to ask him a few questions about his book. Can you tell us what the book is about […]

Julius Arega: Volunteering in Orphanages in Kenya.

Julius Arega is chair of a community based organisation in Ngong, Kenya called Rays of Hope. Rays of Hope works to support proper family and community based care for children. He speaks about the situation in Kenya, and his input was part of the launch of ‘Children First: A Global Perspective on Volunteering in Orphanages […]

By Mark Malone

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By Mark Malone

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Focus: Action for Global Justice, Issue 104

Climate justice, Independent Living Movement Ireland, volunteering and orphanages, Direct Provision, the housing crisis and much more You can read or download Focus 104 below. The editorial team would like to thank all our contributors: In this issue we have WILLIAM HEDERMAN on the states attempt to import hydraulically fracked gas from outside the country […]

Children First : A Global Perspective on Volunteering In Orphanages and Transforming Care.

This report was produced by Comhlámh and the Volunteering and Orphanages Working Group (OWG ) The OWG was set up in 2016 by Comhlámh and a number of Volunteer Sending Agencies party to Comhlámh’s Code of Good Practice who were concerned at the adverse effects of institutional care on children and the particularly harmful impact […]

By Mark Malone

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Cracking Video from Access to Medicines on Price Transparency.

Stand up for making medicines accessible & affordable! @AccessToMedsIRL & @MSF_Ireland are calling on @LeoVaradkar to support the #TransparencyResolution at #WHA72 which will help countries get a fairer deal for patients & health systems RT & help put #LivesOverProfit Share it out with the links below

Comhlámh AGM Thursday, 23rd May 2019

Comhlámh AGM Thursday 23rd May 2019 Carmelite Community Centre, Whitefriar Street, Dublin 6pm – registration and refreshments (sandwiches and tea/coffee) 6.30pm-8.30pm – Meeting Are you a returned development worker or volunteer who has spent time in the Global South? Are you interested in global justice issues, and in linking the local and the global dimensions […]

Community Sponsorship Ireland programme: A callout from Cork

Last week Comhlámh had a great meeting with the Red Cross about the new Community Based Refugee Sponsorship Programmes and Comhlámh’s new European project supporting returned international volunteers and newly arrived migrants to work towards social justice Comhlámh has always been about solidarity. Here is a great opportunity for people in Cork to get involved […]

‘Meet – Play – Move: One woman’s take on the UCDVO/Comhlamh Skills in Development Education course’

Finding just and compassionate solutions: Comhlámh’s Skills in Development Education course 2019 As a lifelong local community volunteer who, on a regular basis, facilitates groups as part of the ‘day’ job, I was delighted to be offered a place on the Spring 2019 UCDVO Skills in Development Education Course. I looked forward to the programme, […]

By Mark Malone

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By Mark Malone

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Ask The Candidates! #EUelections2019

The upcoming European and Local elections on Friday, May 24th are an important one. People will be canvassing for your votes, and so we have pulled together some key questions around particular themes that our members have been working on. These cover areas of human rights and anti-racism; international trade deals and Palestinian solidarity along […]

Trade Unionism & Working for Development #FirstWeds

To mark Mayday 2019, this month #FirstWeds will explore some of the themes and issues of trade unionism and working in the local and global community and development sectors. From a global perspective, we can clearly see those trade unionists, and others involved in collective struggles against inequality and injustices, are specifically targeted because of […]

By Mark Malone

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By Mark Malone

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The Comhlámh Coming Home Weekend – ‘Sustaining Our Work’

‘Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.’ Audre Lorde Comhlámh is delighted to announce that our next Coming Home Weekend will take place in Django Hostel in Cloughjordan eco-village on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 June. This two-day residential retreat will give you time to […]

Cultivate’s new Elements of Change Festival

Unveiling Cultivate’s new Elements of Change Festival, June 29th: “Celebrating what a ‘sustainable community’ is and exploring what actually sustains community. Many movements are calling for change – let’s come together to rethink what these diverse elements of change can look like. From scheduled workshops to Open Space, from walks and talks to collaboratively walking our talk and […]

By Mark Malone

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Dr Ciara Conlon: Access to Medicines Podcast

Last weekend, Ciara Conlon from Access to Medicines appeared on The Echo Chamber Podcast ahead of the Access to Medicines conference this month. You can listen in full below. Irish patients have access to fewer new medicines than those in other EU countries and have to wait longer to get them. Some of the issues […]

Volunteering and the SDGs

Mark Cumming, the Head of Comhlámh reflects on deliberations at our event looking at Volunteering and the SDGs. We were delighted to host UNV in Dublin on 12th March last. There was an excellent line up in the room with representatives from the United Nations Volunteer programme along with Volunteer Ireland. Participants straddled those involved […]

Conversations with volunteers: Eilís McDonald

Continuing our series of interviews with development workers and volunteers, retired teacher and long term volunteer Eilís McDonald writes for us below reflecting on her many years volunteering experiences in Malawi, Uganda and Kenya. ” Things do go wrong sometimes. Mostly something that seems perfectly ok on paper, doesn’t translate the way we expect. This […]

A Twitter thread on African ‘tragedies’

In a powerful thread in Twitter, writer Zoé Samudzi set out some thoughts about how western media reports invariably omits or renders invisible African responses of solidarity in crisis, and are infused with a sense of inevitability, rather than examining real causes and dynamics or the social, political and ecological forces at play. You can […]

By Mark Malone

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Volunteer with Comhlámh at concerts and support our member groups

It’s that time of year again and Comhlámh are delighted to announce our call-out for concert volunteers for Summer 2019. As a festival volunteer, you will be helping raise funds exclusively for the use of Comhlámh member groups. Volunteering with us means helping run the bars along with other campaign groups and the Workers Beers […]

No to any new TTIP: Contact your MEP’s

The Comhlámh Trade Justice group sent the following letter to all sitting Irish MEPs around the upcoming vote regarding fresh talks around a new US EU trade deal. Given the disaster for people and environment that was proposed in the original TTIP agreement, we call on our sitting MEPs to vote against the opening of […]

Conversations with volunteers: Dominic Hannigan

Comhlámh’s information and support officer Ruth Powell will have a number of conversations with volunteers about their unique experiences of international volunteering over the coming months. Here is the second conversation, with Dominic Hannigan Why did you decide to volunteer internationally? I was always interested in international volunteering, and this opportunity was right for me. […]

Volunteering and the Sustainable Development Goals

Comhlámh is delighted to host the United Nations Volunteer programme in Dublin for a dialogue on on Volunteering and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In December 2018, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on Volunteering for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, encouraging the participation and integration of all people — including youth, […]

By Mark Malone

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Ruth Powell reviews “Learning Service: The Essential Guide to Volunteering Abroad”

The first thing you notice about “Learning Service: The Essential Guide to Volunteering Abroad” is that it comes highly recommended by Noam Chomsky who states that it is “an extraordinary contribution” and “a manifesto for doing good well”. The second thing you notice is the sheer size of the work. This guidebook has more than […]

More than 1,600 people died in the attempt to cross the Mediterranean to Europe in the months up to September 2018.

Sir, – Ireland is failing in its responsibility to migrants seeking asylum in European countries. More than 1,600 people died in the attempt to cross the Mediterranean to Europe in the months up to September 2018. There is little evidence that European ministers for justice, including Charlie Flanagan, have done much to ensure the safety […]

Conversations With Volunteers. Ewnetu Ermias

Over the next few months, Comhlámh’s information and support officer Ruth Powell will have a number of conversations with volunteers about their unique experiences of international volunteering. First up, a conversation with Ewnetu Ermias who is currently volunteering at Salale University in Fitche, central Ethiopia. What is your name? My name is Ewnetu Ermias. I […]

E-tick: A new project on ethical communications for young volunteers

Communicating Volunteering Comhlámh is happy to announce the start of a new Erasmus+ funded project that will focus on the complex and frequently contentious topic of how volunteers communicate about their international placements and experiences in the Global South. Using global education methodologies, the project will support volunteers to develop skills around critical self-reflection and […]

Irish Primary School Children Strike For Climate Action

School children mobilised across several schools on Dublin for a demonstration outside the Dail. It was part of the first primary school strikes highlighting the lack of government action on Climate Change. The call for a strike by school children around climate action arose from the the 6th year class taught by Jenny Stanley at […]

Testimonies from Asylum Seekers and others about the Direct Provision System in Ireland.

Video posted by the Say No to Direct Provision in Ireland Facebook page

UK Government releases studies on siting GDF nuclear waste dumps in Northern Ireland

The UK government has published recently details on its ongoing investigations into siting nuclear waste dumps in Northern Ireland. In it’s examination, published online on the 19th December, Northern Ireland is divided up into 4 sub regions. The website states that in Sub-region 2 pictured above Our work shows that we may find a suitable […]

Video: “Stop talking about philanthropy and start talking about tax” – Billionaires Called Out for Tax Evasion Davos Economic Forum

“It feels like I’m at a firefighters conference and no one is allowed to speak about water” Rutger Bregman speaks about the elephant at the Davos Economic Forum, the role of tax avoidance that keeps wealth stockpiled for the richest as inequality increases. “Stop talking about philanthropy and start talking about tax” You can watch […]

International Citizens for Local Perspectives: supporting young international volunteers and migrants as active citizens working for global justice.

Comhlámh is delighted to be part of a new Erasmus+ funded project that will link our work on international volunteering with the creation of a more inclusive and equitable society in Ireland. Entitled ‘International Citizens for Local Perspectives’ (IC4LOP), the project will help us create innovative ways of promoting civic participation and combating social exclusion […]

Leyla and Niall chat about joining Comhlámh’s Global Trade Justice Course

Leyla and Niall attended Comhlámh’s Global Trade Justice Course last year, run by our Trade Justice member group. We had a brief chat about their experience Why did you take the course? Leyla: In early 2018, I was going through the Eventbrite website to see if there were any upcoming events that I would […]

We welcome ASTI – the newest member of our Supporter Network – 24 January 2019

In April 2017, Comhlámh officially launched the Supporter Network with a reception at Wood Quay and a speech from the then Minister of State for Development, Joe McHugh. We welcomed 13 associations and organisations into the Supporter Network and we celebrated the new initiative. The Supporter Network is made up of organisations that do […]

Doctors to attend Dail in call to halt profiteering in cancer medicines: Press Release

Comhlámh member group Access to Medicines (AMI) delivers the launch their Policy Document in Leinster House at the invitation of Dr Michael Harty, chair of the Oireachtas joint committee on Health. “Escalating prices for new medicines put an ever-greater strain on the overall health budget” Speaking in advance of the launch, AMI member […]

Access to Medicines releases its Policy Brief.

Access to Medicines (AMI) delivers the launch their Policy Document in Leinster House at the invitation of Dr Michael Harty, chair of the Oireachtas joint committee on Health. You can read it or download it by clicking on the download button on the bottom of the viewer.

Mick Wallace on fire in questions around Direct Provision

The 2018 Budget for Direct Provision was over €66 million, of which the vast majority is privately operated – Who is monitoring the units? Mick Wallace questioning Minister Charlie Flanagan on Direct Provision

Changing Volunteering in Orphanages.

The untold stories of orphanages, a system that’s harming the very children we believe it protects, and how you can choose to be part of the solution. Over the years many kind and well-intentioned people have volunteered in orphanages. They have done so in order to help some of the world’s most vulnerable […]

‘Volunteers’ Responses to the European Refugee Situation’

The paper was brought together by Trisanhi Gosine, NOHA MSc student on placement and explores volunteers responses to the refugee situation in Europe with particular focus on Greece.

Celebrating Global Efforts to end Gender Based Violence

Dear Friends Please join us this International Human Rights Day to mark the contribution of southern based women working to eradicate gender based violence. Our celebration of this inspiring collaboration takes place on 10th December at 6:30 p.m. at the Mansion House Dawson Street Dublin 2 with our special guest speaker Noeline Blackwell, Director […]

Dympna Meaney Fund Now Open for 2019 Applications

Dympna Meaney Women’s Leadership Development Fund Applications are now open. Please note these are to be be submitted by Friday 29th March 2019. Please do share this across you networks. Purpose of the Fund The Dympna Meaney Women’s Leadership Development Fund seeks to connect women leaders from Africa, Asia, and/or Central or South America with […]

Volunteering for the Future: Play your part in active hope!

Volunteering for the future ‘Volunteering for the Future’ is a project that was developed by Comhlámh and three of our partner organisations across Europe, Volunteering Matters in the UK, INEX in Czech Republic and finep in Germany. Collectively we believe in the power and importance of returned volunteers taking action when they return to […]

The Destruction of the Community Development Sector in Ireland

An interesting paper was published this month by Patricia Kelleher and Cathleen O’Neill examines the social and political forces that have lead to the undermining of “a vibrant state-funded community development, anti-poverty and equality sector which built on community and citizen involvement of the 1960s and 1970s” Entitled ” The Systematic Destruction of the […]

New edition of #Volops Launched

At last weekends Irish Aid Volunteer Fair, we launched the latest edition of #Volops magazine. It promotes responsible and responsive volunteering practices from the point of view of returned volunteer development workers, volunteer sending agencies, and us, Comhlámh. If you would like to write an article for the next issue of #VolOps, please get […]

Living in the shadows of Irish society.

This is a typical day in the life of an asylum seeker in Knockalisheen Accommodation Centre (Direct Provision). The first thing is a trip to communal bathrooms to brush teeth and shower before breakfast which will be served in the canteen between 08h00-10h00. The condition of the bathroom will depend on the type of a […]

Palestine’s Forgotten Refugees in Lebanon

This is a new report from the Centre for Global Education which assess the social and economic conditions in which Palestinian refugees are living in Lebanon. These conditions have worsened as newly arriving refugees from Syria have placed an added strain on the 12 Palestinian camps administered by the UN in […]

Learning As We Walk

Lessons from Ireland’s abortion referendum in the current global context. by Comhlámh member Janet Horner. On May 25th 66.4% of the Irish people voted to repeal a 35 year long constitutional ban on abortion. In doing so, they sent a powerful signal to the world that abortion rights are human rights and that when […]

3rd Anniversary of the Sustainable Development Goals marked

Ambassadors, civil society organisations, citizens, and government representatives gathered in Dublin today to mark the third anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the promise to Leave No One Behind. Coalition 2030, an alliance of over 100 Irish civil society organisations and networks, today led a street march in […]

The Irish Aid Volunteering Fair

The Irish Aid Volunteering Fair will be held in the Hibernia Conference Centre, Dublin Castle on Saturday 29 September from 11.00am – 5.00pm. If you are thinking about volunteering abroad, or just curious about the different ways you can get involved in international development, you should come to the Fair. Every year […]

Comhlámh Statement on Trump’s Visit

“Comhlámh are delighted to host the Trump Baby blimp with Afri, Friends of the Earth, and the Latin American Solidarity Center. It affords an opportunity for collective expressions of discontent about how our societies are organized at local and global levels. Trump is not the only leader with a clear desire to […]

Press Release from Afri, Comhlámh, Friends of the Earth and LASC on Trumps visit.

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