Our Journey of Support to Residents of Direct Provision Centres
Climate Fest in 2018 celebrated collaboration between the Western Branch Lifestyle Choices Group and many other local, relevant groups. One of the highlights of the event was a very moving presentation by the people then living in the Direct Provision Centre in Castlebar, Co Mayo, from 15 different countries. All of them had to flee from their homelands because of the adverse effects of Climate changes on their lives, their livelihoods. They had experienced hunger, poverty, drought, injustices, and for some conflict and war.
Margaret Tiernan rsm, Angela Clarkeson rsm, Monica Smith (Carer), Caitríona Crowe rsm, Mary Doherty rsm
Following this event, they planned a meeting with the Support Officer for Welcoming and Inclusion of New Communities Project Co Mayo. She shared with us the needs of people living in Direct Provision Centres, in particular the needs of women and children. Almost immediately following this meeting Covid set in and in order to keep the line of communication open we organised coffee mornings via zoom with our friends from Direct Provision. We chatted, shared our various cultures and traditions and sang to our hearts content. This continued until April 2022 when many families received their legal status in Ireland, which gave the women the opportunity to seek employment.
As we journeyed with our new Irish we constantly reviewed our role in relation to our response to their requests. We asked ourselves if our role that of advocacy, monitory support or responding in Mercy and Compassion as Catherine McAuley did in her day. We were clear that we were responding to our Mission Statement of Chapter 2019 and now living out the inspiration of our Constitutions.
Following our reflection, we meet with the Support Officer, 3 members of residents in Direct Provision centre and our PLT link person. It was heart breaking to listen to their stories of trauma, daily struggles and hardships, their lack of environmental space, lack of services, particularly Mental Health support, along with the very slow referral system. These people arrive in our country suffering severe trauma having experienced sexual violence, torture, rape, trafficking and climate disasters/change. Survival was /is their daily focus every minute of every day.
Angela Clarkeson rsm, Margaret Tiernan rsm, Caitríona Crowe rsm and Monica Smith (carer)
From here on we continued to link with appropriate services for the women and children in Direct Provision Centres. Our latest project is making/creating ‘Baby Packs; for expecting mothers. The packs are distributed through HSE nurses. This has been a very positive and rewarding project, which we know has brought great joy and comfort to these great mothers. Many Sisters in our communities assisted us to collect and pack of the various items in the packs, for which we are very grateful.
Mary Doherty & Margaret Tierney
Western Branch
