Fermanagh Rural Community Development Initiative (FRCDI) was launched on Monday at the Lite House, Lisnaskea. This project is a Department of Social Development initiative and the funding is being administered by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. It was awarded to the South East Fermanagh Foundation as a result of an application made in August 2006.

The Renewing Communities project being led by FRCDI is a pilot scheme which will offer support to the Protestant, Unionist and Loyalist (PUL) community in Fermanagh and has been born out of Government research into the Protestant Working Class Community and is a capacity building programme recognising the needs of individual groups and developing confidence and self esteem within Protestant communities. The Programme Director is Alan Madill and Janice Acheson is the Community Development Officer.

The project has a Committee of key people from Fermanagh involved in their capacity as leaders of Church's, Community Based Organisations, Unionist Politician's, Credit Unions and others who are concerned with the lack of confidence and capacity within the PUL community.

FRCDI is based in Lisnaskea and can be contacted at 6772 2242 but will be travelling around the County to meet as many groups and organisations within the Protestant community as possible. They have organised a series of meetings to conduct a needs analysis which will highlight the areas of greatest concern. The meetings are as follows: Lisnaskea (2) - FRCDI Office, Lite House, Cross Street, Thursday 22nd February at 7.30 pm; Monday 26 February at 7.30 pm, Florencecourt - Old Gate Hall; Tuesday 27th February at 7.30 pm; Enniskillen - District Hall; Thursday 1st March at 7.30pm; Derrygonnelly - Derrygonnelly Orange Hall; Tuesday 6 March at 7.30pm Kesh - YFC Hall; Wednesday 7th March at 7.30 pm, Ballinamallard - COI Church Hall; Thursday 8 March at 7.30pm. Speaking at the launch of the Project Director Alan Madill said:

"It has long been acknowledged in official circles that the PUL community is lagging behind as far as organising is concerned when it comes to applying for funding to develop groups and projects etc. The government has recognised at long last that something needs to be done to assist this Community in Co Fermanagh to develop their capacity, increase their confidence and to move forward, to get together and organise themselves whether it be a church group, community group, youth club or otherwise. We as a community in Co Fermanagh have had a hard time over the years with terrorism crippling our development and being so far from main centres like Belfast. This coupled with an infrastructure that is almost non-existent in places and a mindset within the PUL community a notion that there is no such thing as a free lunch and that Protestants should fend for themselves, that we should not take blood money or bribes. This project is a chance to break free from that idea and should be grabbed with both hands. We will be working to assist groups to develop and we would hope that over the coming months we will be able to build capacity so that they can access funding and can complete applications for themselves as well as develop a vision for their future and become a firmly established part of the societies in which we all live and work."