A THREE year €107,400 funding boost for Kilcooley Women’s Centre has been hailed as a ‘game changer’ that will help support the most vulnerable women living across the borough.
Alison Blaney, chief executive of Kilcooley Women’s Centre (KWC), welcomed the strategic partnership funding awarded by Dublin’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFA) through its Reconciliation Fund.
The funding will support KWC’s PEARL project that aims to embed peacebuilding in local communities, nurture all-island connections and support women through leadership, mentoring and community development.
The award is among the first to be made under the Irish government’s new Reconciliation Fund Strategy launched by Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Helen McEntee earlier this year.
The strategy has several aims: to highlight the critical role of women in peacebuilding, tackle violence against women and girls, address gendered impacts of the conflict, and promote women’s leadership in civic life, priorities that align with Kilcooley Women’s Centre and the PEARL project.
Ms Blayney said the funding is a big game changer for the organisation.
“It will allow us to broaden our reach into more urban and rural communities across the Ards and North Down region, supporting the most vulnerable women who often do not engage with traditional good relations or peace-building programmes,” she said.
“The PEARL project and this strategic partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs will help us do things better, more consistently, and for longer periods of time, strengthening women’s leadership and cross-community connections right across our borough, Northern Ireland and across the Island as a whole.”
Reflecting on the longer relationship and the new strategy, Ms Blayney said: “We have been privileged to enjoy a positive and supportive relationship with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for more than 20 years.
“Their commitment through the Reconciliation Fund has been fundamental to our work, especially during challenging times when other sources of support were uncertain. That consistency has allowed us to keep our doors open, to innovate, and to stay focused on the women and families we serve.
“We particularly welcome the new Reconciliation Fund Strategy 2026–29 and its clear recognition of the central role of women in peacebuilding. This new strategic partnership is a natural next step in a relationship built on mutual respect, shared values and a common desire to see lasting peace and equality take root in every community.”
Ms Blayney said: “We are deeply grateful for the ongoing support of the Department of Foreign Affairs and for the confidence placed in us through this strategic partnership under the new strategy.
“Together we can continue to build the relationships, skills and opportunities that women need to lead change in their own communities and beyond.
“This is what lasting peace looks like on the ground – patient, practical, and powered by the women who live it every day.”
