Tag Archive | Community Action

‘SORT OUR SMEARS’ CAMPAIGN

Apr23

Screenshot 2019-04-23 at 14.35.32

NCCWN Donegal Women’s Network are inviting you to participant in the ‘SORT Our Smears’ CAMPAIGN, a community ‘art in activism’ project by visual artist Barbara O’Meara in collaboration with Karen Ward of Moon Mna Women’s Celtic Circles supported by the National Collective of Community Based Women’s Network’s (NCCWN)

The project is in response to the ongoing ‘Cervical Check’ Smear Test Scandal which broke last year. This ongoing scandal is affecting thousands of women across Ireland, threatening women’s health and wellbeing, and already resulted in the loss of 22 women’s lives in Ireland.

This month it was reported[1] there remains a backlog of 80,000 tests and delays of up to 33 weeks for a result. This situation is unacceptable and action is required from the government to address this situation now.

The ’Sort Our Smears’ Campaign was launched on 8th March for International Women’s Day and grassroot community workshops are currently being run to give women the opportunity through the use of art to express how you feel about the ongoing cervical smear test scandal which is impacting women’s healthcare in Ireland.

The project aim is to bring all the pieces created by women from across Ireland together to be put on Exhibition Nationally in Autumn 2019.

NCCWN Donegal are pleased to be a part of this project and will be running a number of art activism sessions in Donegal for women to participant in to express how they feel about the ‘Cervical Check’ Smear Test Scandal.

Confirmed dates include

8th May, Donegal Women’s Network, 6 Tír Chonaill Street Donegal Town; 10am-12.30pm,

9th May, Central Library Letterkenny, St Oliver Plunkett Road, 10.30am-1pm

27th May, Greencastle Community Centre, 12.00-2.30pm

Should you be a group interested in participating in a session please get in contact with us to discuss if we can facilitate one in your area too!

Places are limited so please sign up by filling in our online form here, we can also be contacted on donegalwomensnetwork@gmail.com or 074 9722790

 

To find out more about the campaign  ‘Sort Our Smears’ Campaign please see here.

For information for people concerned about Cervical Check please visit the HSE information page which can be found here.

[1] https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/health/harris-to-stand-over-free-tests-decision-amid-80000-backlog-37991909.html

smear college

Some the SORT OUR SMEARS art pieces already created by women in Ireland

smear college 1

 

 

Putting Women’s Equality Centre Stage

Sep19

WEAR PRESS RELEASE 2017.pngThe NCCWN Donegal Women’s Network warmly invites you to attend their WEAR (Women’s Equality Awareness Raising) seminar, an event which is part of a wider project that the Network has been delivering this year.   This seminar will be held in the Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny on 28th September 2017 from 12.30 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. everyone welcome.

In 2017 it remains a reality that globally women and girls can often face gender-based discrimination which increases their risk of experiencing poverty, violence, poor health and a lack of an education. While research also shows us there is a link between development, poverty eradication and women’s equality.

To create awareness to this issue and support women’s equality NCCWN-Donegal Women’s Network, developed The WEAR project, with the funding support of the educational development awareness, EU Ladder Project.

Since April the WEAR project held a 5-week workshop series in Letterkenny, working with women from across Donegal, where participants looked at topics on poverty, health, education, gender based violence and decision-making, through interactive activities and group discussions.

Working with young people is critical if we are to influence change and embed gender equality as a core value within our society.

Through the WEAR project over 80 Transition Year Students from Scoil Mhuire, Buncrana  and Moville Community College participated in a ‘Gender Equality and Development’ awareness workshop.  As both schools have Global Development incorporated into their curriculum the students who participated in WEAR  now have a better understanding of gender equality to inform their reflective learning and development.

Educational Development is about increasing awareness and understanding of the rapidly changing, inter-dependent and unequal world in which we live. The WEAR project has afforded the participants to learn about the structures and systems that impact on their lives and the connections of these to those in developing countries. While providing the opportunity for people to engage in analysis and reflection; recognising local action can assist and sustain global development to help to create a just and more equal world.

The WEAR seminar will share and reflect on the projects learning and look at the ways as a community we can help advance women’s equality locally and globally.

To book a place, please contact: NCCWN Donegal Women’s Network, 6 Tír Chonaill Street, Donegal Town. Tel No: 0749722790 Email: donwomnet@eircom.net

Sweet Treats for all this Easter?

Mar25

easteregg_2868022bMost of us look forward to chocolate at this time of year, however, before we all get cracking on Easter celebrations, let’s consider the global supply chain – from  cocoa farming to the Easter eggs we buy for our loved ones, and choose to enjoy chocolate which is produced fairly without exploitation of others.

Chocolate and Human trafficking

Most of the chocolate we buy is produced from cocoa grown in West Africa where farmers can earn less than $2 a day. This in turn can result in farmers resorting to child labour and slavery to keep their prices competitive in the global market. This drive to keep cocoa prices low is fuelled by multinational companies and consumer’s desire and expectation of low cost chocolate. In the West, chocolate has become a low cost everyday item, often produced at the expense of other humans.

Human Trafficking is a form of modern day slavery. It is a crime which violates human rights. Thousands of children are trafficked to harvest cocoa beans. Children as young as 5 are forced to work long hours, in dangerous conditions with no pay and no access to education. Impoverished families in Ivory Coast, West Africa can be duped by traffickers into believing their children will earn money and receive education if they work on cocoa farms, some children are abducted from neighbouring countries such as Burkina Faso and Mali- two of the poorest countries in the world. Some children will never see their families again.

What is being done to combat child labour and human trafficking in chocolate production?

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) works in partnerships with multinational companies aiming to combat the worst forms of child labour. Whilst many of the major chocolate manufactures are working towards combating trafficking and child labour in the supply chain, only a small percentage of products have a guarantee that the chocolate is fairly produced without human trafficking and child labour.

What we can do here in Donegal ?

Join the campaign to put pressure on chocolate manufacturers to guarantee all chocolate is fairly produced, and find out where in Donegal you can buy chocolate such as “Fair trade”- visit WWW.stopthetraffik.org

Human Trafficking is a crime which can take place anywhere, including areas such as Donegal, where recent arrests were made following reports of human trafficking and labour exploitation here Letterkenny.

We all have a role to play in being alert to the possibility of trafficking crimes and to report any concerns to Crimestoppers:  Tel: 1800 25 00 25, E-mail: Blueblindfold@garda.ie, www.blueblindfold.gov.ie.

The most common forms of trafficking are for: sexual exploitation and  forced labour.

Some of the barriers to potential victims of trafficking escaping :

  • Not knowing how to access help
  • Fear of retaliation by the traffickers to the victim or their family back in their home country.
  • Fear of deportation due to undocumented migrant status or passports/documents being withheld from the victims by traffickers or others.
  • No English- victims may have little or no knowledge of the local language.

Some of the signs of human trafficking- (for further info. see www.blueblindfold.gov.ie):

  • Women or men living in groups in poor conditions and working very long hours.
  • Women or men dependent on their employer for all their basic needs such as food, accommodation and transport.
  • Women or men living in the same place as they are working.

In The Long Run :- Ending human trafficking ‘one step at a time’

“In the Long run” is a Belgian based Oasis project, where a  team of runners, who have travelled over 1,000km along a major international human trafficking route, aim to  raise awareness about the issue of human trafficking, and provide information to communities about the issue of human trafficking.

The Donegal Anti Human Trafficking Group is welcoming the “In the Long Run” team to Letterkenny on 30th March 2016. Donegal YouthCouncil will be hosting an event and have invited the “In the Long Run” team to highlight the human trafficking issue.

 For more information see: ‘Donegal Anti-Human Trafficking Group’ on Facebook and ‘In The Long Run‘.

This feature was written by Catherine Brown as part of our Women’s Lives series to raise awareness to the local and global crime that is human trafficking. 

Donegal Public Consultation for National Cancer Strategy

Jul13

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Donegal Action for Cancer Care (DACC) has been invited by the National Cancer Strategy Steering Group, as part of the development of a new strategy, to seek out the opinions of people who access our services and their loved ones as to how cancer services could be better organised in Ireland. With this in mind DACC are doing what they can within its role to ensure as far as possible that Donegal people are aware of this opportunity.

They are therefore asking:

  1. Have you had direct experiences of cancer services in this country?
  2. What was that like? Are there things that you think work really well?
  3. Are there things that could be improved?
  4. For people diagnosed with cancer in future, what would your one wish be for them in making life that little bit easier?

DACC will be making its own submission and we have identified the following four key priorities:

  • the need for provision of, timely access to, and appropriate funding of psycho-social services for all people with cancer and their families countrywide
  • the need for psycho-social services to be included as a key element of the clinical care pathway and for training to be provided to health care staff in signposting patients to these services
  • the need for equality of access to early diagnosis and treatment of cancer for all patients irrespective of means and travel difficulties for patient who have to travel long journeys for treatment
  • the need to increase the numbers of oncology nurse staff in our hospitals, significantly impacted as a result of the previous moratorium on the recruitment of the staff in the public sector

However, we very much believe that there is strength in numbers and would strongly encourage you to share your experiences of cancer services also. You can answer as little or as much as you wish. You may want to comment on one aspect of the cancer journey, or all of it. The choice is yours. The closing date for completion of submissions is Friday July 24 at 5pm. These can be made by email to cancerconsultation@health.gov.ie or by post to Cancer Strategy Public Consultation, Department of Health, Hawkins House, Hawkins Street, Dublin 2. To download the question form (in word-document) please click  Cancer Strategy Public Consultation Document (Final)-6 DACC believe it is really important that you have your say in the development of the new National Cancer Strategy 2016-2025. For further information you can contact DACC at: Moneygreggan, Newtowncunningham, Lifford, Co. Donegal,  Tel: 087 2905 946