Friends In Ireland
Children in Kokstad

Friends in Ireland is a child centred Irish and South African development organisation. Working alongside local Community Based Organisations our vision is one of empowered communities in which children and young people are able to grow up without discrimination, and in a healthy, safe and caring environment, where they are equipped with the necessary skills to realise their aspirations and potential. Our mission is to provide and promote care, protection and opportunities for orphans and vulnerable children in South Africa in partnership with communities.

Friends in Ireland is a child centred Irish and South African development organisation. Our mission is to provide care, protection and opportunities for selected orphans and vulnerable children in South Africa in partnership with local communities. Our mission is to provide and promote care, protection and opportunities for orphans and vulnerable children in South Africa in partnership with local communities. Our strategic focus in the period 2012 to 2016 is on consolidating and building on past achievements, empowering local communities and ensuring the continuation of our work into the future. With your help we can continue to support the development of the younger members of our target communities and to offer them opportunities to become the future change-makers. An overriding principle of Friends In Ireland’s organisational strategy is to minimise administration costs and to maximise funds going directly to the beneficiaries in South Africa. Volunteering is an ethos which underpins all of our work and without which the common good towards which we strive could not be achieved. Friends in Ireland takes seriously our responsibility to be open, transparent and accountable and to demonstrate to the public that our operations are consistent with our values. Friends in Ireland is a registered Irish Charity, our chief mandate is to ensure the continuance and sustainability of our programmes in South Africa through fundraising for their future. We encourage and support the engagement of the Irish public with our development work in South Africa and with development issues more broadly. We love to hear from people interested in our work so whether you want to participate in an event for sponsorship, run a marathon, create an event or lend us your expertise we would be happy to hear from you. Following this initiative the geographical focus of Friends in Ireland moved to the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces in Since moving into these provinces Friends in Ireland has been in an almost constant phase of growth and development moving firstly from provision of basic needs to a more holistic care approach. None of this could have been achieved without the dedication and enthusiasm of hundreds of Irish and South African volunteers and partner organisations who assisted in the construction of many of our Centres and whose support has encouraged us every step of the way. The role of the Board of Trustees is to provide representation for the Charity in South Africa as well as to fund raise and provide support and overall supervision of the Programme Management Unit in South Africa. She maintains the accounts, manages procurement, manages vehicle maintenance and other various administrative activities. Denise has been married for 29 years and has three sons. Mongezi has a Diploma in Business Management, a Certificate in Community Development, a Certificate in Business Consultancy and a Certificate in Project Management. Mongezi has worked extensively for various NGOs assisting retrenched mine-workers, small and medium entrepreneurs and orphans and vulnerable children in different communities around the provinces of Eastern Cape, the Free State and Kwa-Zulu Natal. Mary is our Programme Financial Administrator and joined the Friends in Ireland team in Mary also works closely with the Board of Friends in Ireland. Friends in Ireland works in Partnership with 6 Community Based Organisations in the delivery of its programme. Our mission is to provide and promote care, protection and opportunities for orphans and vulnerable children in South Africa in partnership with communities. Working alongside local Community Based Organisations our vision is one of empowered communities in which children and young people are able to grow up without discrimination, and in a healthy, safe and caring environment, where they are equipped with the necessary skills to realise their aspirations and potential.