Our History

Who We Are

Women's Collective Ireland (WCI) is a national community development organisation, core funded by the Department of Children, Disability, Integration, and Youth. WCI represents and works directly with women experiencing disadvantage, through our 17 Grassroots Women’s Community Development Projects and National structures. Born through community and feminist activism, the establishment of WCI ensures that there is a national and local structure in place to support grassroots women to network with one another and to encourage them in their journey to re-enter education and employment.

The Women’s Collective 17 local Projects are best placed to identify and respond to the specific needs of grassroots women in their communities and each of them has developed a unique programme of work with women. Our feminist, community development, anti-poverty, and social inclusion approaches will continue to develop the way women’s community work is done in Ireland. We work to make real connections to ensure the voice and visibility of grassroots women.

Community development in Ireland has an extensive, and transformative history. With a long tradition of voluntary, grassroots community work, Women’s Collective Ireland was just one of the many women’s community development projects (CDPs) funded through Community Work Ireland up until 2002. During this time, WCI had not yet formed as a feminist community development organisation, and the 17 projects of WCI existed in an individual capacity.

In 2002, AONTAS secured EU funding which allowed it to fund various women’s groups, this in turn led to the development of the National Collective of Community-Based Women’s Network. At the time, the network was made up of over 20 women’s community-based networks, enabling each group to support women in local communities who experience forms of disadvantage to network and have a voice on concerns in their local area. The organisation was formed as a measure to address women’s poverty, the marginalisation and exclusion of women in life, and the need for women-focused community education and development.

By 2010, the organisation declared its intention to formalise itself as a national organisation. The NCCWN successfully lobbied for the right to exist and moved forward as a national organisation with a total of 17 strategically placed community development projects throughout Ireland.

In 2021, Ailbhe Smyth officially joined the NCCWN as the organisations Patron, sharing our values and goals in accomplishing equality for all women in their diversity and, the year following this, the organisation officially launched its new name, visual identity, and strategic plan – moving forward as Women’s Collective Ireland (WCI) in 2022.

Developments

2022

2021

2016

2011

2010

Women's Collective Ireland officially launched their new visual identity and name, having previously operated under the name of the National Collective of Community-Based Women's Network.

The organisation welcomes the founding director of the Women's Education, Resource and Research Centre in UCD, and renowned LGBTQ and feminist activist, Alibhe Smyth as their patron.

Following policy changes at the time, the National Collective of Community-Based Women's Network lobbied to transfer to the Department of Justice and Equality in order to protect the organisation from budget cuts, which would have impacted the women we work with and for.

The National Collective of Community-Based Women's Network is officially established as a national organisation, and is assigned the responsibility for targeting actions and strategies to advance women’s equality using community development approaches throughout its 17 CDP Projects, placed in both urban and rural communities across Ireland.

Following a review of the Community Development Programme, CDPs who worked to support disadvantaged women were at risk of losing funding and would be forced to amalgamate under their local partnerships. The National Collective of Community-Based Women's Network, which sought to be the national voice for its member women’s networks, decided to lobby for its right to exist as one entity with shared values and goals.