Cork social enterprise honoured at Friendly Business Awards 

A Cork-based social enterprise has won both the community impact category and the overall award at the 2021 Friendly Business Awards. 

The awards, organised by Junior Chamber International Ireland, were set up to recognise businesses that excel in serving the local community's needs. 

The winner of the 2021 awards is Recruit Refugees Ireland (RRI), a Cork-based organisation that connects asylum seekers and refugees to the country's labour market.

RRI took the the top prize despite stiff competition from 37 non-governmental organisations and companies.

RRI was founded by Roos Demol, who told the Echo that the aim of the organisation is to help build an inclusive and diverse Ireland by supporting the integration of the migrant community into the workplace.

"We believe the first step to successful inclusion is integration into the Irish jobs market for the refugee and asylum seeker community," she said. 

She said that having a job opens up the ability to forge new relationships and supports integration into local communities.

"As a team of experts in migration, recruitment and team development, we believe that Ireland can become the leading example of how to benefit from the great pool of talent within the migrant community," she added. 

Ms Roos started RRI in January 2020, and she works with nine volunteers, four of them volunteering from their direct provision accommodation.

She paid tribute to them all, saying: "Without volunteers, we would not have achieved what we have today."