Funding for Gender Equality and Migrant Integration announced by Minister Flanagan and Minister Stanton
· €10.3 million allocated to 36 projects across the country
· 36 projects will be supported in the coming three-year period in multiple locations across Ireland
· A further €1.5 million is being made available for projects to support women’s entrepreneurship
Grants totalling €10.3 million to promote gender equality and to help the integration of migrants were announced today by Mr. Charlie Flanagan, T.D., Minister for Justice and Equality and Mr. David Stanton, T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality with responsibility for Integration, Immigration and Equality.
A total of 36 projects will be delivered in the coming three-year period in multiple locations across Ireland by Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), locally based community groups, and others, who were successful following open Calls for Proposals.
The gender equality projects will support women’s entrepreneurship and participation in the workforce through a range of training and mentoring initiatives.
Examples of the gender equality projects selected for funding include:
- A Leinster-based project to provide employment-readiness training to women in the asylum system focused around Direct Provision locations.
- A South & West Dublin-based project to provide training and mentoring to women who wish to start their own business.
- A project in County Wexford to provide comprehensive, QQI accredited job-readiness training for women who are detached form the labour market.
Announcing the gender equality funding, Minister Flanagan said:
“The €5.8m I am announcing today will support women’s participation in the workforce. It builds on the €5.5m funding awarded to 18 projects in 2017 and it will directly support disadvantaged women to access the labour market. It will also, I hope, help more women to become successful entrepreneurs.
Commenting further, he added:
“I am very encouraged by the progress to date and the continuing improvement in women’s participation in the workforce. However, women continue to have lower overall levels of participation in the workforce, are paid less and have less access to senior positions. Women are also less likely to own or manage their own businesses.
The migrant integration projects will provide a range of practical supports directly to migrants, including English language classes and workplace training. Anti-racism and cultural diversity initiatives will also receive funding.
Examples of the migrant integration projects selected for funding include:
- A project in Cork to provide employment-readiness training to migrants based around a horticultural theme.
- A nationwide project to provide structured diversity training in schools to promote diversity and integration.
- A nationwide project to provide personal development programme, through participation in personal, physical, community and team challenges.
Announcing the migrant integration funding, Minister Stanton said:
“I have already funded 20 projects, with total grants of €4.5m in 2017 to support migrant integration projects over a three-year period. I am continuing funding to some of these existing projects and have added some new ones as part of 19 projects allocated grant funding of €4.5m to cover 2019-22. These grants will support and bolster the good work being carried out every day by local community organisations and national NGOs in support of migrant integration, which is crucially important.”