Frances Swaray

Frances Swaray was born in County Down in Northern Ireland in 1967. She grew up during a period where an undeclared war had begun and where hatred, animosity and fear flourished. It had a deeply profound effect on her as a child and adolescent growing up. However God used this whole experience not only to heal her and restore her sense of belonging but to create in her a deep awareness regarding the trauma and brokenness people can experience through times of unrest and conflict.

At the age of 18 she had a clear call to go to Africa. As a result a deep work of healing and restoration was to take place in her own heart. Consequently she would experience God's own love and grace as He deepened her walk, set her free and transformed her mindset. Her life experiences have taught her how God can bring beauty out of ashes of a broken life. As a result her understanding of what God has done for her she knows this journey was not for her but to bring love, comfort and hope to others.

God’s ways are not our ways and His timing is perfect. After waiting many years and raising a family at the age of thirty-seven she began college to gain the necessary skills to take to Africa. She completed BSc in Health Science and Physiology and BSc (Hons) in Health promotion and Public Health from Sligo institute of Technology in Ireland. Frances finished her education with a Masters in Social and Community Development from Queens University in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The beginning of the African Journey

It was twenty years after her call before she got to do a short field trip. This was to Uganda with Fields of Life promoting health. This was the beginning of her African journey.

After finishing college Frances returned to the workforce part-time for the next six years. She worked for Longford Community Resources CLG as a project coordinator for County Longford Primary Health Care Project. This involved working with an ethnic Irish minority population who suffer from health inequalities and social exclusion.

Finally thirty years after her call, God opened the door for her to go to Liberia. Liberia had been decimated through the attempted genocide of specific tribes, the systematic rape of women and children and the deliberate act of training children to be soldiers.

The most noteworthy privilege she experienced was having opportunities to engage with the local community showing love and concern. Consequently these became opportunities to marry her gifts and skills with God's calling.

While she continued to return to Monrovia , the Capital city of Liberia, she observed some of the poorest, most disadvantaged communities. As a result her heart was stirred by the immense suffering people were enduring. God placed a new idea in her heart and it began to develop until it became a reality and The Koinonia Trust was formed in 2018.