Investment in women would make better communities, says NWCI

Ireland must invest in women if communities are to flourish, the National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) has said.

In a letter to Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government Alan Kelly, it called for "urgently needed funding" to be restored to women's community groups in the next budget.

Vivienne Glanville from Ronanstown Community Development Project said women’s community groups worked with many women and children but were stifled when it came to accessing sustainable funding streams.

This lack of support stopped women’s development and engagement in civil society, she said.

The council said the decision to remove “disadvantaged women” as a target group from its new social inclusion support programme meant women’s groups had less chance of sustainable funds.

Community development projects, particularly those working with women, had been hit hard by austerity and cutbacks, Eilís Ní Chaithnía of the women’s council said.