20/02/2025
Over the last year, we have had the wonderful privilege of collaborating with the incredibly strong women of Saoirse- Ethnic Hands On Deck, and Cork Migrant Centre. Working together, we produced a full-length documentary, "Sisterhood & Sanctuary", which will be broadcast tonight (Thursday 20th Feb) at 8.30pm on Cork Community Television. It is available to view on Virgin Media channel 803, and online at corkcommunitytv.ie . The documentary is made possible through the funding of Coimisiún na Meán.
Through the perspectives of women who have made Cork their home, we become immersed in the realities of migration – the heartache of leaving family behind, the overwhelming task of building a whole new life in a new country, often while caring for young children, sometimes in just one small room.
On this journey, which can feel so isolating, and full of inner turmoil, there is a place of hope. In just the simple act of inviting migrant women to gather over coffee, a force of radical positivity was created at Cork Migrant Centre.
Suddenly, women could meet others who were going through the same thing. They could connect as mothers, and soon, as friends. Through gentle encouragement, feelings of low self-worth were transformed – not only into confidence, but into action. The safe space of the weekly coffee morning allowed space for the creation of Saoirse- Ethnic Hands On Deck, a social enterprise, run and managed by the women.
Through gaining skills, learning to run a creative business, and watching it thrive, lives have been transformed. Saoirse EHD has nurtured a new sense of belonging and connection for migrant women in the Cork community, empowering them to contribute to the local economy, producing and selling high-quality hand-crafted products. It has allowed the women to regain their sense of self, giving them space to think about their lives now in Ireland, their goals and ambitions, realising they have the capacity to build a life that brings them joy. They always had this capacity, but here at Cork Migrant Centre, it is nurtured and encouraged to grow and bloom.
