Comhlámh

BACKGROUND

Comhlámh is the Irish association of development workers and volunteers. Comhlámh promotes responsible, responsive international volunteering and development work. We also work with returned volunteers, partner organisations and member groups to foster just, inclusive societies, through progressive grassroots activism in Ireland and internationally.

CURRENT PROJECTS

The ‘International Citizens for Local Perspectives’ (IC4LOP) is a two-year project involving Comhlámh and three partner organisations in France, Slovenia and Italy. The project aims to promote citizen participation and combat social exclusion by linking newly arrived young migrants with young people who have volunteered in the Global South. It supports a bottom-up approach to integration based on the transformative potential of volunteering experiences and on the migration experiences of young people arriving into Europe. Comhlámh is also involved in an Erasmus project to help address the psychosocial support needs of frontline staff and volunteer responders, who are working with migrants arriving into the EU.

Comhlámh’s Code of Good Practice is a set of standards for Irish Volunteer Sending Agencies facilitating international placements. The Code is based on a vision of volunteers working in solidarity for a just, equitable and sustainable world and it promotes responsible and responsive volunteering to ensure a positive impact for the overseas project and community, the volunteer and the sending agency.

Comhlámh is also working to highlight the specific problems associated with volunteering in orphanages. With the best of intentions, volunteers from Ireland are sustaining orphanages that research clearly shows can lower children IQ’s stunt their growth and increase child abuse. That is why we are asking people thinking about volunteering overseas to take and to share our Volunteering in Orphanages pledge.

Comhlámh has a number of member groups working on specific issues such as trade justice, access to medicines and Ireland Says Welcome, a group focused on refugee solidarity. It also produces the Focus podcast and continues to run its popular series of First Wednesday debates on development issues.