![\"Katalin](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0_FSWC-NLHF-Grant-Image-100-Migrant-Women-Stories-2.jpg\")
Katalin Hajdu, originally from Hungary, and Michael McGoldrick, CEO of First Steps Women’s Centre<\/p>\nPreserving the experiences of over 100 migrant women who have made Mid Ulster their home is the basis of a powerful new heritage projectKatalin Hajdu, originally from Hungary, and Michael McGoldrick, CEO of First Steps Women’s Centre<\/p>\n
A Hungarian woman has opened up about the challenges of moving to Northern Ireland over a decade ago<\/p>\n
Katalin Hajdu came to live in Dungannon<\/a> from Hungary in 2012. When she arrived in the Co Tyrone<\/a> town, she had to adapt to life in a new country with limited finances and a limited command of the English language. It\u2019s been quite a journey and one Katalin is still on, but today, she’s proud to work as an Executive Sales Manager and call Mid Ulster<\/a> home.<\/p>\n But Katalin admits that becoming part of life in Mid Ulster wasn\u2019t easy: “I knew no local people, but thankfully, I found First Steps Women\u2019s Centre (FSWC). I found a lifeline. Suddenly, I found myself surrounded by new friends and a sense of community that felt almost like a second family<\/a>.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Interactive map shows number of asylum seekers receiving support in NI council areas<\/a>READ MORE: ‘How stepping in to care for my ill parents\u00a0ignited a spark and career change’<\/a><\/p>\n “I began to learn about the local way of life and how things were done, while being encouraged to share my own experiences and cultural traditions. Through FSWC, I was able to access ESOL classes and pursue further learning opportunities, with the added reassurance of a cr\u00e8che where I knew my child was safe and well cared for. It was a truly transformative experience. Later, I continued my education by attending additional courses at South West College.\u201d<\/p>\n Preserving the experiences of over 100 migrant women <\/a>like Katalin, who have made Mid Ulster their home is to be the basis of a powerful new heritage project by First Steps Women\u2019s Centre (FSWC).<\/p>\n Following receipt of \u00a3231K in funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, FSWC will document and celebrate the stories, culture, and lived experiences of over 100 Black<\/a> and Minority Ethnic<\/a> (BME) women who have made Mid Ulster their home between 2000 and 2024.<\/p>\n Known as Heritage Journeys: Voices of Migrant Women in Mid Ulster, the project will capture the women\u2019s stories in video, audio, print, and digital formats. Recordings of participants\u2019 oral histories, details of food traditions and religious practices, music, social customs, and more will be captured, ensuring their contributions to life in Mid Ulster and the factors that led them to come to the area are recognised and never forgotten.<\/p>\n These will then be archived in Belfast\u2019s Linen Hall Library for future generations to access, study, and learn from. A dedicated website and accompanying booklet will further help share the women\u2019s rich histories.<\/p>\n Katalin, who became Chair of First Steps Women\u2019s Centre for a period added: \u201cSharing and learning from each other and our cultures is key to a better life for all of us, and that is why this project is so important. I see a huge shift in cultural diversity here, so for future generations we must preserve the details of how we, as women from so many different walks of life, have coped, changed, adapted and moved forward during these years, so they can learn from us.\u201d<\/p>\n The project was conceived by staff at First Steps Women\u2019s Centre after hearing and learning from the incredible experiences of migrant women who have been coming to the centre since it first opened its doors in 1998. Since then, Dungannon has become one of the most culturally diverse towns in Northern Ireland<\/a>.<\/p>\n Each week, the Centre delivers learning and professionally accredited courses in employability, wellbeing, and life skills to over 200 women of all ages and backgrounds from across Mid Ulster. It also offers vital wraparound services, including an onsite creche. Catering for 55 children<\/a>, it enables parents to avail of educational opportunities. The Centre also provides a minibus transport service, counselling, and a hygiene bank.<\/p>\n Michael McGoldrick, CEO of First Steps Women\u2019s Centre, said: \u201cThis powerful new project is grounded in First Steps Women\u2019s Centre\u2019s unique position as a long-standing and trusted partner of local and migrant women here. For over two decades, we have heard the stories of some 2,000 women from all backgrounds and ethnicities while supporting them through employability and education programmes, language classes, childcare, wellbeing initiatives, and counselling.<\/p>\n \u201cWe see the vital contribution the women who have come to live here are making to our local economy and community every day. Bringing new skills, traditions, knowledge, music, and customs to our towns, schools, and workplaces, it is only right that we preserve and record their stories and this intangible cultural heritage aspect of life<\/a> across Mid Ulster so that generations to come will discover and learn from it.<\/p>\n \u201cBy giving these women a platform to share their heritage, our project also aims to build empathy and challenge prejudice by increasing understanding and showcasing the resilience, courage, and humanity of the migrant women who have made Mid Ulster their home.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are thrilled to have received this support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players. Heritage Journeys is more than a project, though. It\u2019s about visibility, dignity, lasting change, and ensuring that the voices of migrant women are honoured as a vital part of our shared heritage in Mid Ulster.\u201d<\/p>\n Click this link<\/a> or scan the QR code to receive breaking news and top stories from Belfast Live. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don\u2019t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you\u2019re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice<\/a>.<\/p>\n For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage<\/strong> here<\/a> and sign up to our daily newsletter<\/a> here.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Preserving the experiences of over 100 migrant women who have made Mid Ulster their home is the basis…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":211876,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5011],"tags":[25712,51856,389,80196,84431,390,84432,1144,455,16,15,1292],"class_list":{"0":"post-211875","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-northern-ireland","8":"tag-asian-communities","9":"tag-black-communities","10":"tag-children","11":"tag-co-tyrone","12":"tag-dungannon","13":"tag-family","14":"tag-mid-ulster-constituency","15":"tag-northern-ireland","16":"tag-real-life","17":"tag-uk","18":"tag-united-kingdom","19":"tag-women"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114741431863572952","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211875","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=211875"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211875\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/211876"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=211875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=211875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=211875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Pictured](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0_FSWC-NLHF-Grant-Image-100-Migrant-Women-Stories.jpg\")
Pictured at First Steps Women’s Centre are project participants: (Back row L to R). Samia Mando Syria; Mount Elmostaghit Morroco; Safiya Walizada, Afghanistan. Front Row L to R: Katalin Hajdu, Hungary; Michael McGoldrick, CEO, FSWC; Natalia Snitchko, Ukraine.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/1_WhatsApp-community-QR-code-Belfast1.png\")
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