Welcome to DARA
Dundrum and Rathfarnham
Area Community SponsorshipA voluntary group preparing to welcome a refugee family to our community
About Us
Welcome to DARA, the Dundrum and Rathfarnham Area Community Sponsorship group. We are a voluntary group of local residents who have come together to welcome a refugee family to our area. Through Community Sponsorship projects like ours, refugees who are fleeing conflict and persecution are brought to a safe and secure country like Ireland, where they are fully supported by the local community.
With the approval of the Irish Refugee Protection Programme and guidance from the Irish Refugee Council, we plan to welcome a family that has been granted UN refugee status into the Dundrum-Rathfarnham area and support them in settling into our community. However, prior to the arrival of our family, we need to fundraise and find a suitable property in the area for the family to live in.
We have set a target of €20,000; the funds will be used to support the family's holistic integration in Ireland during their first two years of living here. Any remaining funds after the two-year period will be offered directly to the family to support their new life and to spend as they wish. In the event the family does not take up this offer, the remaining funds will be donated to a registered charity that supports refugee integration in Ireland.
Community Sponsorship originated in Canada in the 1970s and is now a thriving initiative in many countries helping newly arrived refugees to settle into their new community. We are really excited to bring together the community - our neighbours, friends, local businesses and organisations - to help us achieve our goal, and we would be grateful for any support you can offer in welcoming the resettled family into our community. Keep an eye out for our fundraising activities in the area over the coming months, and follow us on social media for news updates.
May 2022 Update!Thank you to all who have so generously donated to DARA earlier in the year. We are in discussions with two potential benevolent landlords who have a property they are considering making availableto the family which is very exciting!
Obviously the refugee crisis has been very much to the fore in recent weeks due to the tragic events in Ukraine. The Community Sponsorship model is more suited to refugees who are planning to remain in Ireland long-term, and so we expect our group to welcome a family from either Afghanistan or Syria, most likely Afghanistan.
We will have a stand in Airfield market on the morning of Saturday 28th May and if you happen to be up there, we would be delighted to update you on the DARA project!
Meet the Group
We set up the DARA Community Sponsorship group in autumn 2021, as we all live in or around the Dundrum / Rathfarnham area. Some of us grew up here, and others have moved to the area from other parts of Ireland and from overseas. We believe this is a wonderful area to move to, with all the amenities a family needs. Our hope with community sponsorship is to leverage our experiences of living and working in the area to help the incoming family settle and become a part of our community.
Ann Kelleher
I work in the insurance industry and have a background in law. I grew up in Rathfarnham and now live in Dundrum and I think this will be a wonderful location for the family to move to. I’m delighted to be leading our group, we have a great team working towards welcoming the family into our community.
Susanna Lane
I am very interested in the area of immigration and wish to use my experience as a solicitor to assist a refugee family relocate to Ireland. I live in Dundrum with my husband and four children and it is a great area with all the amenities a family needs. I look forward to meeting the family and helping them to settle here.
Carla Kayanan
I am a postdoctoral researcher in geography at UCD. I moved to Ireland with my family in 2019 and I know how hard it can be to navigate the Irish bureaucratic system and find community. My hope with community sponsorship is to lend my experiences with the transition to make it easier for the incoming family.
Ciara Kennedy
I am a freelance PR and Communications consultant and have worked in this sector for 25 years. After living abroad and in other parts of Dublin for a number of years, I returned to my family home in Dundrum with my husband and two children in 2014. I hope that my involvement in a number of community groups and local organisations will benefit the group.
Lamia Chakir Alaoui
I work as a healthcare assistant as well as a life coach. I moved to Ireland 17 years ago to join my husband. We have two wonderful children and reside in Dublin. I am privileged to be a part of this community sponsorship. My goal is to use my experience to help the family integrate and thrive in our community. I am eager to assist in any way I can to bring this initiative to fruition.
Liz Daly
I am a Speech & Drama and Communications teacher in the Dublin 14 area for over 25 years. I am a specialist in voice and acting, and using drama as a means to socialise and integrate children and young adults, helping them to become more confident in communicating. I have worked in several schools in the area and am an examiner with The Royal Irish Academy and The Irish Board of Speech and Drama.
Muireann Cody
I am a property lawyer working in the Public Transport Sector and have lived in Dundrum for the last 10 years with my family. I look forward to sharing our wonderful community with the family when they arrive.
Donal Hyland
I am owner / director of Bohan Hyland & Associates, a property management company. I have over 30 years experience in property management and sales, and I hope to be able to use that experience to assist this worthwhile project.
Eddie Bohan
I am Director at Bohan Hyland and a qualified chartered surveyor with 35 years experience in all aspects of the property industry, living in Dublin 14 for the past 20 years with my family. I’m very happy to get involved in the group with the aim of assisting those less fortunate to make a better life and fulfil their potential in our community.
Kerry Houlihan
I’m excited to join this committee and use my experience in marketing and fundraising to help support a refugee family move to Ireland. I believe the community sponsorship approach gives a family the best opportunity to settle and feel welcomed in their new community.
Máire Twomey
I have lived all my life in the Rathfarnham area and look forward to welcoming the family and helping them to settle in our community. I’m a retired public servant with experience in Social Work and general local authority services. I hope to use my knowledge and experience of public services to assist the family to relocate and settle in the Rathfarnham/Dundrum community.
Contact Us
Are you in a position to offer your time, skills or expertise to DARA?
Would you like to get involved with a local voluntary group to help welcome the family to our community? Would you be interested in becoming a 'benevolent landlord' who makes one of your properties available to the incoming family at a below market rate?
If you would like to join us, or if you can support us in some way, we would love to hear from you!
Whatever your reason, we would gratefully appreciate your help and support.
Email us at daracsgroup@gmail.com
daracsgroup@gmail.com
© 2021