The Erne District Chinese Families’ and Friends’ Association

My name is Jessica Thi Chaffey, and I came from Malaysia to live in England in 1993 and to Northern Ireland in 2009, I am of Chinese origin.  In Malaysia I had done voluntary work but found it different here.

After some Chinese people were targeted by cross border criminals, it was decided to form an organisation with the aims of enabling members of the community to have a voice, somewhere to discuss their shared problems and for the younger members to learn about their cultural heritage.  So in 2018, with the help of the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, we set up an organisation called The Erne District Chinese Families’ and Friends’ Association.  In 2022 the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland approved it as a Charity.

Although most members are Chinese, they are from different countries.  We have faced a lot of challenges due to some people not understanding the rules and regulations here however, we are fortunate to have organisations such as Fermanagh Rural Community Network, Omagh Forum, Fermanagh & Omagh District Council, Fermanagh House, NICVA and Volunteer Now etc to help guide us in the right direction and despite everything we have some sincere members who have volunteered to step in to help to run this Association during difficult times.

During 2022/23 and 2023/24 we were fortunate to get funding from the National Lottery Community Fund PGM for BME groups.  This let us do our events and projects and enabled us to help those whose have settled here to integrate into the community and be able to socialise with each other and have a point of contact to voice any concerns as now here is their permanent home.