About us

Our Story

Our story began in 2002 with students from Trinity College and the collective energy of a determined group of supporters, volunteers and staff. Within two years of our founding, we had an international volunteer programme, and until 2020 trained over 1,200 student volunteers to work as teaching assistants with local partners in Zambia, Kenya and India.

Since our foundation, both Suas as an organisation, and the world we live in has changed and evolved. Over time, Suas work grew to engage students from third-level colleges around Ireland in Global Citizenship Education (GCE) and is now Irish Aid’s strategic partner for providing non-formal GCE in the Higher Education Sector. The STAND programme engages students across the country in awareness-raising, education and action for global justice, equity, and sustainability.

In 2022 the international volunteer programme underwent deep evaluation with a working group developing a prototype for a new type of collective leadership action programme, which will be further developed during 2023 and 2024.

We believe in the role of Global Citizenship Education in supporting young people to imagine and create alternative futures. Check out or next strategic plan for the period (2023-27) to learn how we work in partnership with people and organisations to offer Global Citizenship Education programmes that mobilise young people to imagine and create alternative futures.

We also currently hold a contract with the Department of Foreign Affairs whereby we provide staff to assist with the delivery of the Irish Aid public awareness programme via the Irish Aid Centre.

Please note: Until 2021, Suas also facilitated a literacy and numeracy programme in Ireland, training over 4,500 volunteer mentors to support over 3,300 children from disadvantaged communities to improve their literacy skills. Camara Ireland, TechSpace, and the SuasIreland Literacy Programme are now collectively known as Kinia. You can catch up with all of your favourite projects and people over here.

Our Vision

Global citizens working in solidarity for a just, equitable and sustainable world.

Our Mission

To engage third level students from Ireland and across the globe through collaborative learning and activism to contribute to bringing about the systems changes needed for a just, equitable and sustainable world.

Our Purpose

We mobilise third level students to stand up for global justice, equality and sustainability.

Meet the team

Nina Sachau

Nina Sachau

Executive Director

Erin Kehoe

Erin Kehoe

Operations Manager

Caitriona Rogerson

Caitriona Rogerson

Head of Programmes

Amanda Marques

Amanda Marques

Comms & Marketing Manager

Susie Spratt

Susie Spratt

Festival Manager

Charlotte Bishop

Charlotte Bishop

Education & Research Manager

Clare Sheppard

Clare Sheppard

Leadership & Innovation Manager

Gale Aitken

Gale Aitken

STAND News Editor

Meet the board

Anne Barrington

Anne Barrington

Anne Barrington was appointed in 2018 as Special Envoy of the Government of
Ireland for Ireland’s successful UN Security Council Campaign for the term 2021-22 following her retirement having served 41 years predominantly in the
Department of Foreign Affairs. Her last posting abroad was as Ambassador to
Japan from 2014 to 2018. Anne was Joint Secretary in the North-South
Ministerial Council based in Armagh, Ambassador to Tanzania, Kenya and
Burundi and served in Ireland’s Embassy in Washington DC, the Consulate General of Ireland and Ireland’s Permanent Mission to the UN, both in New York. She served as a United Nations Volunteer in Lesotho from 1979 to 1980. When in Dublin Anne’s positions included Director General Europe Division 2011-2014. She also served for two years in the Department of the Taoiseach and was
seconded as the Director of the National Forum on Europe.

Anne currently chairs the Governance Board of Cúram Centre for Research in
Medical Devices NUIG, is on the board of Ó Cualann Cohousing Alliance, Suas, and Literature Ireland. She is also on the advisory committee of the Trinity Centre for Asia Studies and chairs UCD’s History Development Council. A graduate of UCD in history and politics in 1975, Anne holds a certificate in Public Administration from the Institute of Public Administration, a Diploma in
European Law from UCD and in 2019 she was awarded a Diploma in Corporate Governance from the UCD Smurfit Graduate Business School.

Ronan O'Loughlin

Ronan O'Loughlin

Vice-chair of Suas. Director of Education and Training, Chartered Accountants of Ireland. Ronan is responsible for development, oversight and management of the ACA education programme at Chartered Accountants Ireland and management of the examinations system.

Niamh De Loughry

Niamh De Loughry

Niamh has worked for over fourteen years with a multitude of local partners, international NGO & government departments and corporate sector engagement in a variety of humanitarian and development settings. She has worked particularly in Education, Health and Protection sectors in Asia and the Middle East.

Niamh has led large teams through organisational change, strategic development and resource mobilization. She has worked closely with governments to set policies and integrate frameworks. With an academic background in accounting, and a masters from Trinity College Dublin in Reconciliation After Violent Conflict, she started her professional career as an accountant. Niamh is currently Deputy Chief Executive for the RDS’s Philanthropic programme.

Shane Twomey

Shane Twomey

Shane Twomey is a senior Organisation, Change and Management Consultant with over 25 years’ experience in Multi-national, Indigenous and Public Sector environments. He is experienced in providing a range of organisation solutions including Organisation Design & Development, Organisation Change and Executive Coaching. Prior to moving into consultancy, Shane worked in a range of Senior Human Resources roles with numerous blue-chip organisations including Maxtor, where he had a European brief, Siemens, where he was responsible for implementing Strategic HR, and Viridian Power & Energy, where Shane developed a commercial HR Framework.

A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development, Shane holds a Masters in Human Resources from the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business. He is a Registered Coach with Henley Management School, is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Management Consultants & Advisors and a member of the Institute of Directors.

David Moffitt

David Moffitt

David began his career as a General Management Trainee with Smurfit Kappa where he ran packaging factories in Ireland and Spain. From 1992 to 1996, he was the Irish Director for R.R. Donelley before establishing Tech Group Europe, a manufacturer of drug delivery devices which was later sold to West Pharmaceutical Services Inc.

David was a member of IBEC’s National Executive Council from 2005 to 2009 and sat on the Investment Committee of Enterprise Ireland from 2008 to 2013. He was a key shareholder and CEO of Kayfoam Woolfson from 2009 to 2023. He is also Chairman of Folens Group whose major business interests included Folens Publishing, Hibernia College and Accountancy School. David is active in the Not for Profit sector and also Board Member of Kinia and the Human Dignity Foundation and Ideate Ireland.

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