Buncrana Drowning Tragedy: Families ‘overwhelmed’ by outpouring of support

The bereaved families at the centre of the Buncrana drowning tragedy have been ‘deeply touched’ and ‘overwhelmed’ by the local community’s support.

A Buncrana-based charity has set up a Go Fund Me campaign to support them during their time of unimaginable need, with more than €25,000 donated so far.

Insight Inishowen, a voluntary group which works to promote good mental health, organised the fundraiser to support the families of Matt Sibanda and Emmanuel Familola with expenses – and to help family members travel here from Africa for the funerals, which are expected to be held next week.

Ruth Garvey-Williams, a member of the Insight Inishowen charity, which is based out of The Exchange in Buncrana, says the families have been deeply touched and overwhelmed by the public’s response.

“We [The Exchanage/Insight Inishowen] are completely overwhelmed at the response,” Ms Garvey Williams said. “For the first few days, the mothers were worried about how they were going to pay the funeral expenses.

“They are single mothers and both are working locally, but they were worried about meeting those expenses with being out-of-work for this next period of time.

“But the way the community has helped has been an even greater response than we could have imagined.

“I was speaking to one of the African community leaders from Letterkenny, who was thanking us on behalf of the whole African community, saying that they are so grateful for the support.

“Not just the messages of support, but the kindness and how people have come forward to help these families in their time of need.”

Ms Garvey-Williams said the families were overwhelmed by the many hundreds of local people who attended a prayer vigil in St Mary's Oratory in Buncrana on Sunday afternoon too.

“They didn’t expect it,” she said. “They thought it would just be themselves and their friends, and they were moved to tears by the demonstration of kindness and hospitality of the community and all those who attended.”

Arrangements are now being made for family members to travel to Buncrana for the boys' funerals which are expected to be held next week. Temporary visas will be issued by the authorities so that family members living abroad can be present when 18-year-old Matt, originally from Zimbabwe, and 16-year-old Nigerian boy Emmanuel are laid to rest.

Ruth said that the boys were members of a youth group at the Exchange and after Mass on Sundays went there with their families and friends to worship in the African Christian manner.

“Fr Bradley and us at The Exchange are working closely with the families to understand how they conduct a funeral in their own cultures,” Ms Garvey-Williams said. “We don’t want to force them into an Irish funeral. There will be elements that will be the same, but some will be different.”

This time of sadness has given the Buncrana and wider Inishowen community a time to reassess negative attitudes towards immigration.

During Sunday’s prayer vigil, Buncrana Parish Priest Fr Francis Bradley emphasised how Matt, Emmanuel and their families were new parishioners rather than immigrants.

“These are new parishioners. They’re not immigrants, they’re new parishioners, new members of our community,” he said.

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Ms Garvey-Williams agreed that the tragedy has changed the conversation and helped everyone recognise our shared humanity.

“These boys and their families are members of our community. They were going to school and studying. Their mothers are working hard and contributing to our society, and many of the families have volunteered at the Exchange and elsewhere.

“And to have a tragedy like this hit, on top of the trauma they’ve already had, is just terrible. The trauma from which they’ve escaped - torture, war, trafficking, kidnapping, abuse.

“Many have already lost children and family members, and when a child dies like this, that can be triggering for them, as this community knows all too well.

“I’m happy with what we have raised so far. We just want to stand with the families.”

If you would like to donate, please click here www.gofundme.com