Wicklow Syria Appeal was founded in 2016 by Dermot Costello to support those affected by conflict in Syria, in honour of the 2003 Syrian Special Olympics teams twinning with Wicklow Town. The volunteer group came together to enable the Wicklow Community to make a positive difference to the lives of those affected by war in Syria through community action, education and fundraising.

In June 2003 Wicklow Town hosted the Syrian Special Olympics Team in our homes and Wicklow community.  These Syrian athletes such as Amani Zakkar and  Amjad Othman were our guests for 2 weeks and many friendships began.

The 2016 the Rio Olympics brought our Syrian Olympian friends to mind again, yet due to the war in Syria we have lost contact with them.  We cannot support our friends from the 2003 Special Olympics team directly, however we can show our support for other Syrians affected by war.

2003 Syrian Special Olympics Team: Athletes 

2003 Syrian Special Olympics Coaches 

What do Wicklow Syria Appeal do?

Wicklow Syria Appeal comprises a group of volunteers across the Wicklow business, educational and religious communities. Wicklow Syria Appeal are working with Nasc to bring a Syrian Family to live in Wicklow Town in 2018 under the Family Reunification program. #communitysponsorship

Some of the Wicklow Syria Appeal Group at Wicklow Harbour. Pictured from left:

Pam Beacom,  Mick Nolan, David Ryan, Fr Donal Roche, Jess Costello, Dermot Costello, Juliet & Laura Devereux, Mary Rose Devereux, Paul Hennessy.

Other Members include:​ Paddy O’Kelly, Angela Higgins, Stephen Clarke,  Rev. Jack Kinkead, Rev. Ivor Owens,  Christine Flood, Craig Petrie, Mary Frances Sinnott, Paula Kearney, Mary Aldridge, Louise Cherry and Trass Lyons.

Throughout 2016 & 2017 Wicklow Syria Appeal ran education programmes in local schools, supported Transition Year projects and fundraised to support NGO organisations working in Syria.  Later in 2017 we decided to focus on what we,  the Wicklow community, could do to help the Syrian refugees coming to Ireland. To enable us to do this, Wicklow Syria Appeal partnered with Nasc, the Migrant and Refugee Rights Centre, to develop and pilot a community sponsorship scheme to support and reunite Syrian families who have been separated by the war in Syria. Wicklow Syria Appeal have now taken the step to partner with Nasc to develop a refugee community sponsorship project. Community Sponsorship enables us to support and sponsor a Syrian Family to join family members siblings already living in Ireland, and through our experience we hope that this will enable other Irish community groups to do the same.