A TRANSFORMATIVE new initiative, The Rebuilding Together–Building Healthy Communities Project, has officially been launched, marking a major step forward in supporting rural development and community wellbeing across the border region.
Supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), this ambitious project represents a significant €5,722,677 investment in rural communities throughout East and West Fermanagh and neighbouring border areas in North Monaghan, Cavan, and Leitrim.
“This funding for the Rebuilding Together-Building Healthy Communities Project will support the delivery of much needed services to those most in need in the Fermanagh, Cavan, Monaghan and Leitrim border communities, contributing to building strong and resilient rural communities where people can live, work, be active and prosper in a sustainable and environmentally responsible way,” Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister, Andrew Muir MLA said.
The project will contribute to significant regeneration in a new Community Health and Wellbeing Hub in Lisnaskea and in the delivery of key services to improve quality of life and wellbeing for rural people in a border region that still aligns behind in every social and economic indicator possible.
The project acts as a key driver for enhanced services delivered on a cross-community basis and deliberately tackles a range of systematic issues, including social isolation, poor mental health, isolation for older people and a rapidly aging population, homelessness, poor access to health and social services and inadequate and or/affordable childcare.
The project brings together a unique and vital cross border partnership project delivered by Erne East Community Partnership Ltd (Lead Partner) (N.I.); Teach Oscail, Cavan Town; Lakeland Community Care; and Fermanagh Rural Community Network in collaboration with a wide range of social partners in the border area.
“This initiative brings together local expertise, shared experience and a powerful commitment to community-led transformation,” SEUPB Chief Executive Gina McIntyre said.
“PEACEPLUS projects are more than the development of new services and facilities. It is about restoring the heart of a region that has carried the deep scars of the past, a region where communities endured decades of division, trauma and hardship.
“As we have seen from research and lived experience, the long-term health impacts of the past are profound, with rates of trauma-related illness and premature death disproportionately high. PEACEPLUS seeks to address this legacy through compassion, innovation and collaboration.”