CAIRDE

09/04/2026

On 7 April we marked World Health Day.

Health is a right, but for many migrants and ethnic minority communities in Ireland, accessing healthcare can still feel confusing, unequal, or out of reach. At Cairde, we work to change that.

Every day, we support people to understand their rights, navigate the health system, access services with dignity and have their say: from mental health and primary care to maternal health and peer support. We also work to address the wider inequalities that impact health, including language barriers, discrimination, and lack of accessible information.

That’s where HealthConnect.ie comes in - a free, multilingual platform designed to make health information clear and accessible. You can find trusted information on:

- GP visits and how to access care

- Mental health supports

- Women’s and sexual health

- Vaccinations and screening

- Chronic conditions and more.

This World Health Day, we’re calling for a more equal health system where everyone can access the care they need, when they need it.

👉 Explore HealthConnect.ie and take the first step towards better health today.

09/04/2026

We are happy to present the second short documentary in the Roma Influencers Network series, centred on Claudia and Vasia, two Roma Influencers from Ireland. In this film, they share a Roma women-led perspective that sheds light on lived experience, community strength, and the importance of supporting Roma women and girls to shape their own futures beyond the pressures of early marriage and early motherhood.

Watch it here and please share: https://youtu.be/OGuqMqRzsr4

This series has been developed as part of the Roma Influencers Network‬, an Erasmus+ EU project coordinated across Greece (Klimaka), Ireland (Cairde), Romania (Sastipen - Centrul Romilor pentru Politici de Sanatate), and Portugal ( & ‪ ). The project addresses early marriage and early motherhood in Roma communities, while supporting awareness, empowerment and stronger participation of Roma women and girls.

Claudia and Vasia are at the centre of this short documentary, sharing Roma women-led perspective from Ireland. As part of the Roma Influencers Network, thei...

08/04/2026

On International Roma Day, we are proud to see the voices and leadership of Roma communities in Ireland recognised and amplified.

This blog written for HSE, Marianna Prontera, Roma Programme Lead at Cairde, reflects on the heart of our work - supporting Roma communities to access vital health services in ways that are trusted, inclusive, and culturally informed.

Through our Peer Support Project, Roma Peer Support Workers are sharing information and building relationships, breaking down barriers, and supporting people to access screening with confidence and dignity. This is what community-led health equity looks like in practice.

We are grateful to partner with the National Screening Service, HSE in making screening more accessible for Roma communities across Ireland.

Read the full blog below:

For International Traveller and Roma Day, guest blogger Marianna Prontera, Roma Programme Lead with Cairde, tells us about the work of their Roma Peer Support Workers in helping to improve equity in screening among the Roma community.

01/04/2026

Exciting new opportunity!
TASC, in partnership with Cairde, is looking to appoint an external maternal health expert to provide specialist advisory support to a three-year, community-based peer advocacy intervention focused on improving maternal health and infant outcomes among migrant and ethnic minority women in Ireland.

TASC and Cairde will lead the core research, programme design, and training delivery. The consultant’s role is to provide expert maternal health input to strengthen quality, clinical accuracy, cultural safety, and alignment with best practice.

Interested or know someone who may be? Apply by 14 April and learn more here:
www.activelink.ie/vacancies/health/121390-tasc-external-maternal-health-expert-advisory-consultant

01/04/2026

We are delighted to present to you the first short documentary in our new Roma Influencers Network documentaries series. This video features two Roma women, Mirela & Cristina, who share a powerful Roma women-led story from Ireland, rooted in lived experience, resilience and hope.

Watch the video here and please share: https://youtu.be/tliHTcGoqvc?si=gmxBnFhmcKPekzjL

This series has been developed as part of the Roma Influencers Network — an Erasmus+ EU project coordinated by Klimaka NGO across Ireland, Romania (Sastipen - Centrul Romilor pentru Politici de Sanatate), Greece (Klimaka) and Portugal ( Cesis - Centro de Estudos para a Intervenção Social & COOPERACTIVA). The project addresses early marriage and early motherhood in Roma communities, while supporting awareness, empowerment and stronger participation of Roma women and girls.

Watch this space for next four videos!

Enjoy the videos and music that you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.

30/03/2026

Trying to understand how health services work in Ireland can feel overwhelming, but you do not have to figure it out alone.

HealthConnect.ie provides clear, trusted information for migrant and ethnic minority communities on GPs, primary care, hospital services, maternity care, women’s health, mental health, sexual health, diabetes services and immunisations. It also explains entitlement to public health services, medical cards and GP visit cards, GP out-of-hours services, help with medical costs, and answers to frequently asked questions.

You can explore helpful information in English, Arabic, Chinese, Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian, making it easier to find the support and services you and your family need. Visit HealthConnect.ie to learn more.

26/03/2026

Today, as we mark International Social Prescribing Day, we’re recognising the power of connection, community and culturally responsive support.

Social prescribing means connecting people with non-clinical supports in their community, such as information, peer support, groups, activities and local services, to improve health and wellbeing.

For migrants and ethnic minorities, that connection can be life-changing. At Cairde, this includes multilingual mental health information, peer support and advocacy, Connect Cafés where people can meet and support one another, and support to connect with the health and mental health services they need.

Through Cairde’s mental health work, including trained peer support and advocacy volunteers, people are signposted to services, listened to, supported and helped to navigate systems that can often feel inaccessible.

Better mental health support starts with trust, belonging and being connected.
Visit our website to learn more about our services: www.cairde.ie

25/03/2026

Here is an important reminder for parents and guardians: there’s still time to get the free HPV catch-up vaccine before August 2026.

If your teen is in 5th or 6th year and missed the HPV vaccine, the schools catch-up programme is still running and will be delivered mainly through schools up to August. Eligible families will be contacted with consent forms (and students 16+ can sign their own).

HPV is very common, and the vaccine is safe, effective, and helps protect against HPV-related cancers and ge***al warts.

👉 Learn more on https://bit.ly/ImmunisationsHC in Arabic, Chinese, English, Polish, Ukrainian and Russian or visit: hpv.ie.

24/03/2026

Coming soon: a new Cairde documentary series from Ireland, developed as part of the Roma Influencers Network, an Erasmus+ EU funded project coordinated by Klimaka across Ireland, Romania, Greece and Portugal. The project addresses early marriage and early motherhood in Roma communities, while supporting awareness, empowerment and stronger participation of Roma women and girls.

At the heart of the Irish documentaries are women’s voices - honest, powerful and essential.

Thank you to Mirela, Christina, Florinella, Ramona, Elena, Maria, Cozia, Claudia, Vasia and their families for sharing your stories so openly, and to Ana Duca Studio and Ferdia Mooney for the beautiful photography.

Watch this space and learn more at https://www.romainfluencersnetwork.eu/

21/03/2026

Today we mark 21 March, International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Racism continues to shape people’s experiences of health and wellbeing in Ireland, creating barriers to access, trust, and fair outcomes. At Cairde, we work to challenge these inequalities by supporting migrant and ethnic minority communities in engaging with health services, accessing accurate information, and having their voices heard.

Through community health programmes, peer support, and initiatives focused on mental health engagement, we work alongside communities to address the structural factors that impact health, from language barriers to discrimination within services.

Anti-racism in health means more than awareness. It means action: listening to lived experiences, investing in culturally appropriate supports, and building a system that is equitable for everyone.

Today, and every day, Cairde stands with communities working towards a fairer, more inclusive health system for all.

Visit our website at www.cairde.ie to learn more about our services and programmes.

13/03/2026

Important conversations about mental health are happening in our communities.

At our latest Migrant and Ethnic Minority Mental Health Engagement Meet-up, we came together to clarify priorities for our ongoing work to strengthen mental health engagement with migrant and ethnic minority communities to create more inclusive mental health services.

The discussion built on our recently launched report, "Improving Mental Health Engagement for Migrant & Ethnic Minority Women" which highlights key challenges and sets out recommendations to improve mental health services and engagement.

Despite the challenging weather, it was wonderful to see both familiar and new faces. The meeting created a warm and supportive space for honest conversations, shared experiences, and thoughtful reflections.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to participate and contribute. Your voices are essential in challenging health inequalities and advocating for more equitable access to mental health services.

If you are from a migrant or ethnic minority background and have used mental health supports in Ireland, we would really value hearing from you. Your experiences can help inform our work and shape better, more inclusive services.

Please get in touch with Dallal: dallal@cairde.ie

You can download the report here: https://bit.ly/CairdeMentalHealth

08/03/2026

International Women’s Day is a moment to recognise the strength, leadership, and resilience of women everywhere, including the many migrant, ethnic minority, Roma and refugee women who are shaping healthier communities across Ireland.

At Cairde, we see every day how women step forward as advocates, connectors and changemakers. Through our work on minorities health, mental health engagement, peer support and initiatives such as the Roma Influencers Network, women are sharing knowledge, supporting one another, and helping ensure that health services respond to the realities of their communities.

This International Women’s Day, we celebrate the voices, leadership and solidarity of all women. We recommit to building a health system where every woman can access the information, support and care she deserves.

Explore supportive, multilingual and accessible health information at HealthConnect.ie.