Celebrating Melody's life

YWCA Ireland is saddened to announce that our longest serving Board member, Melody Chadamoyo, passed away peacefully on Thursday 6 August 2026, surrounded by friends and family.

An intercultural relationship coach, speaker and author, Melody brought significant experience to her role as a director and trustee of YWCA Ireland, where she served since 2019. She was passionate about helping professional women and organisations build healthy intercultural relationships and thrive. As a former TU Dublin’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead for Race Equity, Melody worked to ensure every space she entered was welcoming and fostered a sense of belonging for all.

Melody was an extraordinary woman of God, and YWCA Ireland’s Board and staff feel deeply privileged to have served alongside her in God’s mission. Despite her health challenges over the past year, she remained committed to YWCA Ireland and faithful to God’s calling on her life. As a committed Christian leader, she led with courage, conviction and compassion, helping lay the foundations for a new era of YWCA Ireland’s pioneering work. Her wisdom, vision, emotional intelligence and decisiveness will be deeply missed by the Board.

‘Melody was a courageous and gifted woman, mentor and leader. She was a light in our Board, a wise and perceptive voice, and an inspiring and fervent champion of young women's rights and dignity. She leaves a powerful and lasting legacy not only for the YWCA Board, but for all young Christian women across Ireland’ – Emma Bowie, chair of YWCA Board of Directors.

Melody will be remembered not only for her God-given gifts and abilities, but also for her infectious smile and the joy she brought to others. Anyone who had the privilege of knowing Melody felt heard, seen and valued in every conversation with her.  In both word and deed, Melody lived out YWCA Ireland’s vision ‘to empower young women in Ireland to lead and effect change in Christ.’

Melody loved being part of the YWCA and was especially passionate about supporting and championing younger women leaders in practical and intentional ways. Her legacy will live on through the many young women she mentored at national and European level. From 2021, Melody served as Treasurer of European YWCA, a role through which she meaningfully touched the lives of younger women across the continent.

On behalf of the European YWCA Board and members, Jo Cerrato and Marta Nagel-Alne share:

We are deeply saddened by the loss of our dear Melody. She was a truly warm, kind and genuine person, whose wisdom, courage and generous spirit touched each of us. We feel so fortunate to have known her and to have shared a part of our journey with her through the European YWCA. Melody brought strength, hope and kindness wherever she went, and her deep commitment to our association and to serving others will continue to inspire us. We will miss her dearly, but we will carry her memory with us, with love, gratitude and a deep sense of privilege for having known her.

The YWCA Ireland Board and members are devastated by Melody’s loss, even as we celebrate the remarkable legacy she leaves behind.

Please join us in praying for her much-loved daughter, Siobhán, and her wider family.

Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in me. 

There are many rooms in my Father’s house; I would not tell you this if it were not true.

I am going there to prepare a place for you. 

After I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me

so that you may be where I am.

(John 14:1-3).

We're providing five sponsored places for Kyria Collab!

COLLAB IS A gathering of young leaders

Welcome to Kyria Collab, an exclusive gathering of exceptional young female leaders aged 18-25 from various denominations and spheres of influence across the UK.

Collab’s mission is to embark on a transformative 12-month journey together, establishing the REAL WAY of leadership:

Recognise & Relate | Encounter & Equip | Advise & Advocate | Listen & Leverage

The Collab cohort, limited to just 12 leaders, ensures a close-knit community where meaningful connections can flourish. As part of this unique experience, each leader will receive two personalised 1:1 coaching sessions tailored to their passions and leadership influence.

Collab is a monthly online evening space where we unite to create, achieve, promote, and encourage young female leaders. These empowering sessions consist of dynamic leadership discussions, designed to:

• Create connection and conversation

• Facilitate leadership and learning

• Assess current needs and opportunities

• Listen and formulate visions, outcomes, and partnerships

This is the third year that YWCA Ireland has sponsored places for young women and we’re passionate about investing to follow their God-given calling into leadership with courage, competency and confidence.

Applications close 13th August 2026.

Find out more info and how to apply HERE.

National Women's Council Annual General Meeting

Last 9th of June, the Annual General Meeting of the National Women’s Council (NWC) (*) took place in Dublin. In the meeting there were representatives of a lot of its members, including the YWCA.  

I had the opportunity to join Katherine, the YWCA’s treasurer, in the meeting. When I first arrived at the meeting I was nervous because it was the first time that I had the chance to participate in an activity like this one. However, Katherine explained the process and how it was going to work throughout the day. 

The day started with a seminar provided by UCD’s Associate Professor Emeritus Ursula Barry(**) about which strategies could be followed to ensure a more inclusive and feminist Model of Care. Complementing this topic, three women shared their experiences in the care sector. As I listened to the experiences of Miriaam, Derval and Margaret, I remembered more situations, more women in my life that have had to resign to some aspect of their lives to take care of parents, siblings, kids or even partners. It allowed me to question why usually people in lower socioeconomic status are the ones in charge of care activities and how migrants are often in a vulnerable situation of doing these jobs at underpaid rates. 

Following the conversation I had the opportunity to meet people from the organization of 221+ while having lunch. I learnt about their incredible job as a support group for women and their families that are affected by cervical cancer. 

After the break we continued with the motions of the day and I could hear some amazing statements that hopefully will shorten the gender gaps in the society. 

After the event ended, I walked home with a lot of questions in my head that I hurried to write in a notebook:

-How do the systems make men believe that their actions need to be seen as an economic good?

-How does the current system make us women vulnerable as exploited individuals?

Moreover than the questions I would like to end this blog with my two biggest fruits from the NWC experience:

-These forums are a very important space to gather women with different backgrounds to talk and participate in common decisions and discussions.

- The invitation to feel the world differently as a principle to action movements in society.

*NWC is an organization that looks after gender equality of women, focusing on shortening the gap between genders in different aspects of everyday life. A similar objective than the one pursued by the YWCA. 

**Professor Ursula Barry is a feminist economist and specialises in gender, equality and public policy.

Women in Science

Ada Lovelace Day

To mark Ada Lovelace Day, a day that celebrates the contributions of women to science, technology, engineering and mathematics, Eve and Lizeth share their thoughts on Ada, forgotten female scientists, and what it’s like to be a woman in science today. 

When most people think about computer science, mathematics, or engineering, they usually think of Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, or Alan Turing. For most of history, the fields of science and technology have been dominated by men. For a long time, women didn’t even go to school or receive a formal education. Only wealthy families who could afford a tutor would consider educating their daughters. If girls did receive education, it was usually in subjects considered to be suitable for women, such as home economics, music or literature. Science and mathematics weren’t considered suitable subjects for young women. 

Ada Lovelace, an English woman born in the 1800s, is considered by many to be the world’s first computer programmer. Ada’s mother, Lady Anne Byron, insisted that her daughters would receive education in science and mathematics, which was very unusual at the time. It was clear to Ada’s tutors that she was extremely gifted in mathematics. When she was a teenager, she met Charles Babbage, a mathematician and inventor from Cambridge. At the time, he was working on an invention known as the Difference Engine, an early version of the calculator. He became Ada’s mentor. 

Even after Ada was married and had three children, she continued to work with Babbage on his inventions. She translated the notes of Babbage’s French colleague for his invention, the Analytical Engine. She noted how the machine was similar to a weaving machine that followed patterns to make a design, and how the engine could also follow patterns to complete equations and form letters. She was one of the first people to realise that such an engine could be used to do more than just calculate numbers. This is why many people believe that Ada is one of the world’s first computer programmers. 

Ada Lovelace would die in 1852 and her notes were forgotten about. They were later published again over 100 years later in a book about how computers follow patterns. People realised that Ada’s work was an early form of a computer programming language, before computers were even invented. 

There are many girls and women like Ada Lovelace. Many girls with a passion for science are never given the opportunity to pursue their studies. So many amazing female scientists throughout history have been overlooked, such as Rosalind Franklin, who wasn’t even credited for her work on the structure of DNA. Women of colour have especially been overlooked, such as Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, three African American women who worked as mathematicians for NASA during the Space Race. 

Even in the 21st century, girls and women are discouraged from pursuing their passion for STEM. In many countries, girls are not even allowed to receive an education. Even in countries like Ireland where women are encouraged to pursue higher education, STEM subjects are still extremely male-dominated. 

Lizeth, one of the YWCA Dublin’s resident assistants, studied nanotechnology engineering in her home country of Mexico, and is now pursuing her Master’s in Environmental Engineering in University College Dublin. She discusses her experience of being a woman in a field that is mostly dominated by men.

Growing up, a lot of kids have different dreams, some may want to be teachers, others astronauts or firefighters. In my case, I wanted to be like Steve Irwin, the crocodile hunter. I would run across the house pretending to catch imaginary snakes, I would spend hours in front of the TV watching Animal Planet and had a whole collection of Animal Encyclopedias. After a while, my interest started broadening in the amazing experiments that appeared on TV and their similarity to the magic spells that appeared in Harry Potter.

When I was in school I was the weird kid who liked science class and would spend hours doing the homework because I got distracted with all the topics that appeared. I spent a lot of recess preparing for the science fair with my friends. Until I came to University, it never crossed my mind that I was expected to be less than a man. It was a huge shock for me, I went from a school with most of my teachers being female engineers and chemists to a school where most of my teachers and classmates were male. 

During the first year, while I was doing a group activity we made a mistake and one of my classmates decided that I was the one to blame, that “it is more common that you girls make mistakes.” When we reviewed the exercise it was actually his mistake. After this incident, I felt that I was being assessed constantly, that everything I did was under scrutiny. And, if I made a mistake the normal assumption was going to be that it happened because I am a woman, not because I just got distracted.

As I was becoming more conscious about the problem, I realized that the most known scientists are all men, and of course they made amazing discoveries. But there are several women as important as them. If you google “important scientists,” only two women appear in the first 22 results. The bias in our way of thinking is so ingrained in our society that we don’t realize how this can affect the confidence and perspective of young girls who want to become scientists.

I was fortunate to live in a house where asking questions and reading books was a common thing. My mom taught me a lot about animals and encouraged me to investigate more and pay more attention to the environment. My dad always tried to buy the books that I wanted no matter how strange the topic was. My brother would explain and make some experiments with me, and my sister had to put up with all my weird conversations and take me to my science fairs. Sadly, for most of the people it is not like that; according to UNESCO only around 30% of female students study STEM fields in higher education. It is time to shorten the gaps and to forget about the common roles for girls and boys. To destroy the image that we always had of a white man with a white lab coat. And start thinking also about a lady discovering new elements, making the calculations to send people to mars, work with viruses or living in the middle of the jungle studying primates.

“I must tell you what my opinion of my own mind and powers is exactly … I believe myself to possess a most singular combination of qualities exactly fitted to make me preeminently a discoverer of the hidden realities of nature.” -Ada Lovelace

Meet the New RA Team

RA Team 21/22

Introducing this year’s Resident Assistant team! The RA team works to make the residence welcoming and comfortable for all of the residents. Keep reading to learn more about where they’re from, what they do and what they’re passionate about!

Catherine 

Hi! My name is Catherine and I’m on your new RA team for 2021/22. I come from north county Dublin and I study philosophy and sociology in Trinity. I’m a huge nerd (especially for murder mysteries) and I love to chat. If you ever need a joke or someone who can recommend an escape room, I’ve got your back!

Starlee

Howzit! My name is Starlee, but just “Star” is fine. I’m from Orlando, Florida, USA, and have also lived in Honolulu, Hawai’i, and Manila, Philippines.

I am pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at American College Dublin. Prior to arriving in Ireland, I worked in healthcare under the Care Management department for hospitals in Central Florida.

I love video and board games, film, food, and am almost always up for an adventure and making people laugh.

I am grateful for the RA programme at YWCA Dublin for providing a safe and welcoming community for me, as well as being given the opportunity to serve an organization that strives to empower young women.

Lizeth

Hi! My name is Lizeth! I'm 23. I'm from Mexico.

I am a nanotechnology engineer. I am here to study for my master's degree at UCD.

I love soccer, comics and nature.

I am excited about the opportunity to volunteer and live in YWCA Dublin. Because I think It is great to know people from all around the world and have the chance to create a multicultural community. Also, the support that I have received since I moved to Ireland has been amazing.

Eve

Hello, my name is Eve! I'm Irish and I'm from North Dublin. I am in my final year of World Religions and Theology in Trinity College Dublin.

I love to read and paint and going for hikes around Dublin. I'm passionate about sharing my Christian faith with others. In my thesis, I will be focusing on Old Testament history, so I love to share my knowledge about this topic with others too!

I am so excited to join the RA team this year. I can't wait to get to know people from all over the globe and to learn from them. I hope that I can help to make their experience of Dublin memorable and a lot of fun too!

Meet the RA Team for the year 2020/21

Noémie, Caren, Marina and Paula

These four young women are the Resident Assistants (RAs) of our cosy residence. They are the support of the students, their mission is to make our city centre location more comfortable for everyone. If you want to know more about them and about their experiences in YWCA Dublin, keep reading. Who knows, maybe you'll be inspired to apply for the next RA programme!

Noémie: Hi! My name is Noémie, I'm 21 and I come from Toulouse, France. Currently, I am doing a Masters degree in Intellectual Property Law, and I decided to spend my Erasmus year studying at Trinity College. I am an advocate for women's rights: since a few years now, I am involved with the YWCA of France. Hence, it made perfect sense for me to stay at the YWCA Dublin. I am grateful to be an RA at the YWCA Dublin Residence: I have been able to improve my personal skills, while working for an organization upholding values that I espouse.

Caren: Hey, everybody! My name is Caren and I'm 23 years old. I am originally from Lucknow, India but having spent almost 2 years in Dublin, I now call Ireland home. At the moment, I am in the process of winding up my MPhil in Classics from Trinity College Dublin. At the time when I was moving to Ireland, I got in touch with YWCA Dublin in the hopes of seeking a safe and secure living space for myself. YWCA Dublin did not just prove to be an excellent student accommodation located in close proximity to my college, but also gave me the opportunity to meet so many people from diverse backgrounds, some of whom I now consider lifelong friends. Having lived in this accommodation for almost 2 years, I saw in the RA programme an opportunity to give back to this organisation in my capacity as a volunteer while also developing my leadership skills.

Marina: Hi everyone! My name is Marina, I’m from Sao Paulo, Brazil and I’m 25 years old. I went to Law and Business School in Brazil but I’m currently studying English at ICOT College here in Ireland. I am passionate about traveling and knowing other cultures. That’s why living and working at YWCA has been such a rich experience for me. I think that the RA Programme is a great opportunity to improve my leadership skills, my capacity of hospitality and also meet people from all around the world. I’m so grateful for being part of the YWCA Dublin.

Paula: Hey! My name is Paula, I’m 27 and I am originally from Spain. I left my hometown to study journalism and work in media companies in Madrid. I decided to come to Ireland in 2019 to improve my English and learn about other cultures. My interests include photography, arts and travel. I am so grateful for my time at YWCA Dublin, first as a resident and now as a RA. The RA programme has been an excellent opportunity to meet new people and new cultures. Also I am improving my leadership skills and my knowledge about hospitality.

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Introducing Our Resident Assistants for the Year 2018/19

From left to right: Taylor, Francesca, Klaudia and Magdalina

Here are the four lovely & hard-working Resident Assistants (RAs)! They come from all over the world with the joint vision of making our city centre location feel like home. See below for their individual introductions & a bit of information about their experiences as an RA! Who knows, maybe you'll be inspired to apply for the 2019/20 RA programme!

Klaudia: Hi! My name is Klaudia and I originally come from Poland but I’ve lived in Ireland for nearly 10 years. I’m 21 years old and I study Psychology at Trinity College. I love animals, drawing, hikes and walks, and reading novels, among other things. What I loved most about the RA programme was living in the heart of Dublin and being able to walk to college as well as getting to know some of the residents and making friends with them. I believe some of those friendships will be ones that last. What I found difficult has been finding alone time in a residence full of people and trying to juggle college and my RA role along with other responsibilities. It has been a valuable experience that will stand for me in the future.

Taylor: Hello! My name is Taylor, I’m originally from San Diego, California, but I now call Dublin my home! I am currently studying Sociology & Social Justice at University College Dublin with hopes of working in secondary schools or the foster care system afterward. Before I moved to Ireland, I was a wedding florist, and I enjoy all kinds of art, including painting, crocheting, and music. The RA programme has been an excellent way to meet new people and experience new cultures right in your own home! I’ve learned so much about hospitality and the sometimes challenging cross-cultural communication. I’m very grateful for my time at the YWCA!

Magdalina: Hey guys! My name is Magdalina. I am originally from Russia and Lebanon but have lived in Ireland for the past 10 years, currently studying Medicine in Trinity College Dublin. My interests include playing the piano, travelling and reading about current affairs. I also love all things tech, politics and AI! My favourite part of the RA role is meeting people from diverse cultures and making many different friends from all walks of life. I think the most challenging aspect for me about this role was learning to manage my time between college work and my RA responsibilities.

Francesca: I was born in Modica, Sicily, in 1991. I left my hometown to study at the historic Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome and more recently, I exclusively dedicate myself to landscape paintings, tracing an introspective path of memories back through the places of my life. I fell in love with Ireland after visiting, and decided to take the plunge and move to Dublin. The quick move was a challenge, but I wanted a new experience, totally different from my comfort zone. I love to share my passion and meet new people from all over the world. The RA Programme has given me these opportunities, has improved my focus, confidence and leadership skills, thanks to all the activities and training I have had.

Training Day: Gender Sensitive Pastoral Care

YWCA are delighted to announce their next training day will take place on March 9th 2019. It will take place at our Baggot Street residence. This day's theme is 'Gender sensitive pastoral care'. We will discuss the theology of pastoral care, listen to young women share from their experience, learn about the resources and tools available to equip yourself to care for women well and develop skills in selfcare as a strategy for sustainable, effective leadership. We have a fantastic line up of speakers including Noeline Blackwell, Joan Singleton, Becca Watterson, Ana Mullan, Chloe Hanan and Katy Edgmon. All welcome! More details: https://bit.ly/2B6iOa4