A free seminar will be held in Dublin to mark, for the first time in Ireland, International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation and to provide a forum for discussion on work in Ireland and overseas to combat FGM.

The Seminar is being organised by Ireland’s National Plan of Action to Address Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Steering Committee, which Cairde is a part of. 

Agenda:

• 10am Registration, tea and coffee
• 10.15 Welcome and opening address – Her Excellency Mrs Mannete Ramaili, Ambassador of Lesotho 
• 10.30 “FGM in Ireland: work to date” Sioban O’Brien Green, Co-ordinator Migrant Women’s Health Project, AkiDwA
• 10.45 “Ireland and International Obligations” Colm O’Gorman, Executive Director, Amnesty Ireland 
• 11am “FGM/C Abandonment Approaches – what can work and what doesn’t”
• Eileen Morrow, Programmes Coordinator East Africa, World Vision Ireland
• 11.30 “Community Responses to FGM in Ireland” Ifrah Ahmed & Ahmed Gadaf – Somali Community in Ireland 
• 12pm “FGM – an Islamic Response” Asiya Altawash, Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland 
• 12.15 “FGM Legislation” Senator Ivana Bacik, Reid Professor of Criminal Law, Criminology and Penology at Trinity College Dublin 
• 12.30 “Ending Female Genital Mutilation: A Strategy for the European Union Institutions” Salome Mbugua, National Director, AkiDwA 
• 12.45 Panel Discussion with speakers
• 1.20 Summary and close of seminar – Her Excellency Mrs Mannete Ramaili, Ambassador of Lesotho 
• 1.30 Close

Over 20 people from ethnic minorities in Dublin and various organisations took part in the Ethnic Minority Health Forum on Wednesday the 27^th January 2010. The forum was called to open through welcomes and an introduction and history of the Ethnic Minority Health Forum.

Topics up for conversation on the day included; issues on what would the focus of EMHF be in 2010? Suggestions included; giving free medical talks, developing support groups for different ethnic minority groups and the need to strengthen information provision and to motivate and educate communities on their health entitlements.

Discussions took place on this been delivered through the creation of different working groups to focus on various issues, information campaigns to get to targeted people, through peer education so that people can bring back information to their local communities and through creating links with the Irish Congress of General Practitioners.

Other topics on the agenda included bereavement policy in Temple Street Children’s Hospital and the need for this service to be in an ethnic minority perspective. Other discussions were based around the improvement of Cairde’s website. 

For information on the minutes of the meeting please email Junyu at email hidden; JavaScript is required

Community Health Workers positions (Community Employment Scheme)  application is now closed.

  Read more

 On Sunday the 10^th of January 2009 Polish community organized an event to collect donations for the prevention and early detection of cancer of young children.

The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity Foundation for the 18^th time in Poland and the 4^th in Ireland collected money to help the youngest patients in Polish hospitals.

During the Dublin’s event the best musicians performed. In the evening celebrity presenters invited bids on the Great Orchestra’s items:  passes to cinemas and theatres, artwork, the Polish ambassador’s tie and many more! 

Participants could also get advice at information stoles.  Cairde supports initiative and provided information about our services.  www.wospdublin.org