About

About
Mná Le Chéile – A Collaborative Platform

“Mná Le Chéile is more than just a platform; it is a movement towards a more equitable and responsive system of support, built by and for the women it serves.”

Mná le Chéile is a dynamic change-making platform dedicated to connecting women and communities to drive social transformation and collective empowerment. It showcases the full range of services and supports available, while also creating space to advocate for change in the systems that impact women’s lives.

Alongside this, the platform enables services to work together by offering shared online supports, resources, and learning opportunities. Whether through collaborative problem-solving, inspiring stories, or skill-building tools, Mná le Chéile nurtures a vibrant movement of women shaping better services, stronger communities, and lasting change.

As a women’s system of learning, our commitment is to a co-productive relational model of equal membership and participation. Members are equal in the creation, development and provision of all Mná Le Chéile activities. Whether you are an organisation, a professional, and/or someone with lived/living experience, your unique perspective is essential in shaping the future of our work and the systems we wish to influence.

By providing a platform that balances knowledge networks and support structures, everyone involved has the opportunity to contribute meaningfully and benefit from the collective wisdom of the group.

We focus on a wide range of support needs, including mental health, substance use, domestic violence, housing, LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent support. We work to produce policies, research, advocacy services, support structures, training, as well as networking and events.

History

The foundation of Mná Le Chéile is rooted in the recognition of a critical need for specialised services that address the unique and individual needs of women. This journey began by hearing from women accessing services like Better Together and Tinteán, who shared their experiences and the challenges they faced, particularly the lack of visibility and understanding around the obstacles women and mothers encounter in securing the specific support they need.

Driven by a desire to amplify these voices and address this adversity, we envisioned creating a platform where both those with lived and living experiences, as well as the workers supporting them, could come together to share their stories and needs. The goal was to foster an environment where we truly listen to each other and respond collectively.

One of the first steps was a co-creation event, intentionally designed to hold space and centre the experiences of everyone involved. This gathering provided a rare opportunity to start fresh, without a predetermined agenda, and to explore new ways of working together. From this event, our committee was formed, leading to a transformative two-day change event. The collective wisdom and insights gained during this continues to guide us today, shaping the platform we have created and the work we do.

Mission

At Mná Le Chéile, our mission is deeply rooted in the recognition of the unique challenges that women face in accessing the specialized services they need. Born from shared experiences and the desire to bring visibility to these challenges, we are committed to creating a platform where all voices—those of women with lived and living experiences, as well as the workers who support them—are heard, respected, and empowered to create change together.

Values – Supporting Participation

Guided by our 5 C’s — Care, Connection, Collaboration, Creativity, and Collective Action — we work to foster a compassionate and inclusive community. Care means holding ourselves, each other, and the work with dignity. Connection means reaching across difference, location, and lived experience. Collaboration means doing with, not to or for. Creativity means welcoming different ways of knowing and expressing. Collective Action means moving from story to shared change.

We believe in the power of working together to unite diverse perspectives into a shared vision for gender-specific support. Through meaningful connection, we strengthen the bonds within our community so that every woman can find the support she needs.

We create spaces where experiences can be shared openly and knowledge can grow. By embracing creativity, we explore new approaches to the challenges women face, seeking to do things differently and better.

Ultimately, we are committed to collective action: turning insight into changes in practice, policy, and culture. Mná Le Chéile is more than a platform; it is a movement toward a more equitable and responsive system of support, built with and for the women it serves.