Funding awarded to Kildare-based project which aims to assist Travellers in overcoming barriers in education and work

A project in County Kildare which aims to help members of the Travelling Community overcome barriers in education and work has received funding to further its goal.

Funding body Rethink Ireland, which aims to improve equality for minority groups within Ireland, today (July 28) announced the partial awardee of its Breaking Barriers Fund 2024.

It was also delivered alongside the State Street Foundation, which is a group which seeks to assist disadvantaged populations, and the Department of Rural and Community Development through the Dormant Accounts Fund.

Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) is one of five organisations to be awarded a share of the €1.37 million Breaking Barriers Fund 2024. It also also runs the Traveller Employment Programme (TEP), which strives to provide support for members of the Travelling Community seeking to access the labour market.

In addition, BITCI works with employers to help them create diverse and inclusive workplaces.

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It is hoped that BITCI's investment will be used to support people from marginalised communities to find their way into sustainable employment, work placements, education, or internships, while also tackling discrimination, prejudice and inequality.  

Other awardees across Ireland include Change Please Ireland, the Open Doors Initiative, Saoirse Ethnic Hands and Way2Work Ireland (Cruthu Foundation). 

APPROVAL

One member of BITCI who welcomed the funding was Lyndsey O'Neill, the organisation's TEP co-ordinator, who said: "In Kildare, this funding will allow us support Irish Travellers to gain and sustain meaningful employment.

"With targeted mentoring, CV support, and employer engagement, we’ll help Travellers build sustainable career pathways whilst ensuring recruitment processes and workplaces are inclusive environments where diversity thrives."

She added: "It’s not just about jobs — it’s about dignity, inclusion, and breaking cycles of exclusion in our local communities."  

In addition, Tanja Buwalda, the business development director for Rethink Ireland, said: "This fund is about backing brave ideas that drive long-term change.

"Each of the five projects we’re supporting is a model of inclusive innovation, tackling not only barriers to employment and education but also the root causes of exclusion.

"With the backing of State Street Foundation and the Department of Rural and Community Development, we’re using our unique funding model to help these organisations scale their impact, reach more communities, and build a more just Ireland."

He also asserted that the organisation is using its funding model in order to help other groups "to scale their impact, reach more communities, and build a more just Ireland". 

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FURTHER CONTEXT

Awarded projects from the Breaking Barriers Fund range from barista training for migrants and inclusive catering social enterprises, to structured school-to-work supports for young migrants and a Traveller-focused employment programme.

All five organisations are working to bridge long-standing gaps in opportunity by directly addressing the structural inequalities in Ireland’s labour market and education system. 

Those seeking further information about Rethink Ireland and open funds can visit rethinkireland.ie.