Diocesan News 19 Feb 18

Our Table finds new home in Ireland’s first Cathedral of Sanctuary

Nick Henderson, CEO of the Irish Refugee Council; Archbishop Michael Jackson; Ellie Kisyombe, founder of Our Table; Dean Dermot Dunne and the Revd Abigail Sines.

Our Table, an organisation that highlights the need for change in Ireland’s Direct Provision system for asylum seekers, has a new home in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin. The Our Table café was officially relaunched on Friday evening (February 16). At the same event Christ Church became the first Cathedral of Sanctuary in Ireland in recognition of its work with Our Table and initiatives to ensure refugees and asylum seekers receive a warm welcome to the city.



The Our Table café will open every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, when founder Ellie Kisyombe and her team of staff and volunteers will prepare and serve fantastic food as well as spark change through conversation about Direct Provision. The café officially opened to the public on Saturday morning.



Sharing food with others is one of the most human things in the world. So much of our cultures revolve around the preparation, sharing and ritual of food. However, in Direct Provision, people are denied the chance to cook and share food in the ways that matter to them. Our Table is trying to change that along with campaigning for the right to work. It started when Ellie along with other women came together to cook their favourite recipes, taste each other’s food and learn about each other’s culture.



Ellie, who arrived in Ireland from Malawi eight years ago and lived in Direct Provision, said the launch of the café meant the world to her. On Friday night she spoke of the loneliness people experience in Direct Provision and the anger she had experienced but instead of giving up hope, Ellie harnessed her emotions. “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude,” she said.



Everyone has hopes and dreams, she said, including refugees and asylum seekers. “We don’t want to kill our dreams. We do everything to carry our hope. This is reality and this is me. This is real for over 5,000 people [in Direct Provision] who have found a home in Ireland. We can’t call it home but it is home and we will call it home,” she stated.





