Investment theme: Moving on from abuse
Purpose:
To cover the cost of additional staff, training, technology support, self-care packages, and food aid for 3 months to support asylum seeker and refugee women in Govan.
Year of grant: 10/4/2020
FR Number: FR-0052759
Amount awarded: £2350
Location: Glasgow
Full description
We seek funding for a number of activities that will benefit the women and girls that we work with. These range from additional staff time to take calls and support the women individually, technology support, emergency aid supplies and quality training for staff and volunteers on moving our services digital. We have based the costs on the basis of a 6 month 'project' or response to Covid-19 solely within the GCP Women's Group.
Staff costs: We require additional staffing hours to meet the need of requests for aid and to keep on top of the admin required to make this possible. The staff that work with the women are currently working overtime to connect with the women and liase with other organisations in the city regarding the specific needs of women. We anticipate this need to grow, especially in relation to domestic &/or gender based violence within the home. We need to be able to respond to this with rapid effect and safeguard any instances of abuse. Extra hours for staff time will enable us to do this, at minimal stress to GCP staff.
Training: GCP has identified training for staff and volunteers to attend that will equip them with the skills necessary for moving services online and effectively running virtual community support groups. High quality training is available from many higher education establishments and other providers. This is one of our biggest areas for improvement and is vital for our services to keep running.
Technology support: We require additional funds for a Zoom licence for 6 months and to purchase 2 smartphones for staff that work with the Women's Group. This will allow for regular contact and meets the fund aim of improving social networks. The group will begin weekly Zoom meetings in place of their regular weekly group meet up.
Access to exercise: Many online yoga and exercise classes are being delivered through Zoom, Facebook and other mediums. Some of these require money to be able to access, we therefore request £50.00 per month for 6 months to distribute to the women in order to keep their minds and bodies fit and healthy. This contributes to the fund aim of improving health and wellbeing.
Self care packages: We would like to purchase 'self care' goods to distribute to the women that attend the community support group we run. These packs will include things for relaxation including essential oils, clean and good quality facecloths and moisturiser. The women have expressed their wish for something of this sort, so they can create some calm for themselves at the end of their busy day. Also in this package, we will include information and advice for the women around healthy and cheap cooking in the time of Covid-19. We are currently in the process of gathering recipes from our staff, volunteers and community members which we then hope to put into a recipe book for distribution. This work can be done remotely/virtually and so allows us to provide the women with tools for self care from a distance. The additional staffing hours requested here will allow for these packs to be made up.
Sanitary Aid: Women seeking asylum do not have access to sanitary products, especially now that our main office is closed (we would distribute these products daily pre covid-19). We require funding to buy these products in bulk and distribute to women within our community. We will also use this money to buy nappies which are a huge request for us at the moment and is unlikely to slow.
Food Aid: Women seeking asylum are living on little more than £5.00 per day, which for some, is given on a pre-paid card that can only be spent in certain shops. We require funding to provide food aid to the most vulnerable women we work with, some of whom have families with children and others who live alone. We will distribute the funds here as part of our Covid-19 Aid Response Project, this money will be ring fenced for women at risk of destitution, only.
