Quaker Ministries in Northern Ireland - Quaker Service Part 2 . . .

"And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi,

Let me now go to the field,

and glean ears of corn after him

In whose sight I shall find grace.

And she said unto her, Go, my daughter."

Ruth 2:2    KJV

We've left the Quaker Service Office and continued on our journey . . . Our next stop was up the hill, and what a drive that was, up to Quaker Cottage.



Quaker Cottage

I really enjoyed our visit to Quaker Cottage, I guess because it was some place that I could really relate to, on several different levels - having a degree in Elementary Education, having worked for 13 months in a Day Care, working with our Kid's Club program at Mooresville Friends Meeting, working with Morgan County Weekday Religious Education classes and my work with Scouting and Guiding programs.



Little ones play area

Quaker Cottage supports mothers and their children from some of the most disadvantage parts of north and west Belfast. It's a cross community family support centre that provides much needed services to these families. Referrals are usually made by social workers or health care staff. They provide support to those who have experienced trauma and that are having trouble dealing with the day-to-day management of their homes. Typical issues of the mothers that attend are abuse, alcoholism, anxiety, bereavement, depression, domestic violence and parenting . . . a lot of the same issues that mothers have around here, but under much different circumstances.



School aged room

Mothers and their young children come to Quaker Cottage two days a week for eight months and then one day a week for four months. Older children come one afternoon a week during the school year and participate in an after school programme. A special summer programme is also arranged for these children. There is also a teenage programme during the afternoons, evenings and on occasional weekends. From time to time residential outings are also provided for the families.



Teen room

Quaker Cottage provides a safe and caring environment for the participates. Increasing self-esteem, greater family understanding and co-operation, improved social and life skills are all benefits of the Quaker Cottage programmes.


Some of the Quaker Cottage staff

Now, with all that said, on our visit to Quaker Cottage, we had the opportunity to sit down over cups of tea served with sweets (chocolate!) and have a nice chat with the staff. Their time with the moms and children was over for the day, so no distractions. The staff members include few paid staff and many volunteers - some local and some there as 'Friends in Residents' staying from 3 months to a year. Through the conversation and the tour that followed one was able to sense the passion that each member of the staff had for Quaker Cottage, it's programming and for the families that they work with. The short stories and comments that they made gave me a real sense of the work that they do and the difference this programme is making in the lives of those who participate in it.