INSIGHTSIN BRIEF

OCTOBER 2020

Specialist services led 'by and for' Blackand minoritised women address thecomplex nature of discrimination facedby women of colour, providingcommunity-led safe spaces and long-term culturally appropriate support.

But even before the pandemic, theseorganisations were struggling tosustain funding.

Research by Imkaan found thecombined income of 15 London-basedBME ending VAWG organisations is lessthan that of the capital's main singleprovider.

Covid-19 has further decimatedfunding for the sector. More than half of'by and for' organisations are worriedabout surviving the crisis – citingservice users' increased emotionaltrauma, poverty, and declining mentalhealth as evolving needs requiringcomplex long-term support.

APPLICATIONS RECEIVED: 53GRANTS AWARDED: 27REFUGE PROVIDERS: 11NON-REFUGE PROVIDERS: 16TOTAL INVESTED: £633,108

Covid-19 has exposed the depth of inequality faced by women ofcolour across the UK and exacerbated violence against womenand girls in the home – a combination of events Imkaan describesas a 'dual pandemic'. Rosa and Imkaan's partnership fund issupporting refuges and ending VAWG organisations led 'by andfor' Black and minoritised women, helping them to meet theincreased needs of their communities.

Emmanuel Kaye FoundationEsmée FairbairnOak FoundationThe Indigo Trust

We're incredibly grateful for thefinancial support of donorsincluding:

WHAT IS THE FUND AND WHY IS IT NEEDED?

When we refer to 'Black and minoritisedwomen' we're using the term 'Black' in apolicy sense. I.e. women and girls who aredefined in policy terms as Black andMinority Ethnic (BME).

For this partnership fund, Rosa ismanaging the grant-making process andoffering broader grants plus support,while Imkaan is providing a tailoredpackage of support to fundedorganisations.

"THIS GRANT WILL HELP USREACH ISOLATED AFRICANWOMEN OUTSIDE EDINBURGHWHO CAN'T EASILY ACCESSCOMMUNITY SERVICES."

KWISA, EdinburghKWISA supports African women andtheir families, with a specific focus onpreventing violence against womenand girls – including FGM and relatedharmful traditional practices. Theteam's ultimate aim is to enablewomen and girls to achieve their fullpotential.

This grant will fund a 'Lifeline Project – AFriendly Voice' to alleviate lonelinessand build resilience in women and girls.It will also allow the team to contactparticularly isolated women by phoneand on social media.

The holistic nature of KWISA's workmeans funding will also provide basicemergency relief, communicationsmaterial, and self-care groups to helpwomen and girls cope during andpost-pandemic.

Visit the website and follow on Twitter.

"MANY OF THE WOMEN WESUPPORT HAVE LOST THEIR JOBS,

SOME HAVE HAD FLASHBACKSTHAT BROUGHT BACK MEMORIES

OF FLEEING THEIR COUNTRIES."

Refugee Women of BristolRWoB is the only multi-ethnic, multi-

faith organisation targeting the needsof refugee women in Bristol. Many of

the women and girls the team supportshave additional indicators of isolation,

including difficulty with the Englishlanguage, long-term health issues, and

a lack of friends and family in the UK.

Funding will employ a new drop-inassistant to encourage women reflect

on their experiences of lockdown, aswell as access trauma-related

workshops and counselling serviceswith childcare facilities.

Many service users also lost their jobsin the care sector during the pandemic.This grant will enable the team to bring

in experts from the sector to providetraining, with the aim of helping women

return to work.

Visit the website and follow on Twitter.

HOW ARE WOMEN'SORGANISATIONS USING THEIRGRANTS?

Humraaz provides holistic support andrefuge accommodation to Black and

minoritised women and girls fleeingviolence and abuse.

During the pandemic, a lack of ITequipment meant the organisation

had a gap in service delivery. Part ofthe funding has enabled the team topurchase IT equipment and a printer

for each of its three sites.

Now, women and girls can accessonline learning programmes and the

children have been able to accessonline school work. The grant has also

funded an advocacy worker and aneducation worker to support women to

adapt, learn, heal and recover.

Visit the website and follow on Twitterand Facebook.

HOW ARE WOMEN'SORGANISATIONS USING THEIRGRANTS?

"IT'S BEEN A CHALLENGE TO FINDHOUSING FOR WOMEN READY TOLEAVE OUR REFUGE, AND COVID-19 IS WORSENING THESITUATION." Latin American Women's Aid, London

"FUNDING MEANS OUR SERVICEUSERS CAN NOW ACCESS ONLINE

LEARNING, HOLISTIC THERAPEUTICACTIVITES, 1-2-1 SUPPORT,COUNSELLING, AND MORE."

Humraaz, Blackburn

LAWA runs the only refuges 'by and for'Latin American women fleeing violencein the UK. The team welcomes womenof all abilities and from any culturalcontext, ethnicity, social class, religion,and sexuality and is proud to beLGBTQ+ inclusive.

Funding will provide extra support andlegal housing advice to help LAWA findlong-term move-on accommodationfor refuge families.

It will also help to purchase PPE andcleaning provisions to reduce the risk ofCovid-19 in the refuges, ultimatelysupporting women to move forward intheir recovery journey and take controlof their lives.

Visit the website and follow on Twitterand Instagram.

51.9%

18.5%

18.5%

3.7%3.7% 3.7%

Organisations led 'by and for' Black and minoritised women areseverely impacted by the increased demand and case complexitythey're currently experiencing. This fund provided financial andnon-financial support to help these small and medium-sizedspecialist women's organisations meet those immediate andevolving needs.

WHAT WORK WAS FUNDED?

Who the organisations arereachingSome organisationssupport a broad range ofBlack and minoritisedwomen, while others targettheir support towardsparticular communities. Thischart breaks down thedifferent groups of womenand girls supported by thefunded organisations.

How the organisations planto use their moneyEnding VAWG organisations led by andfor Black and minoritised womenprovide a huge spectrum of supportfor women and girls in theircommunities.

Many work holistically and bilingually,and provide support to women with NoRecourse to Public Funds (NRPF). Thekey areas of work supported by thisfund include, but aren't limited to:

Kurdish, Turkish & Middle Eastern women(1)

Women of Latin American descent(1)

Women ofAfrican descent

(5)

North African and Middle Easternwomen (1)

Women of South Asiandescent

(5)

Black and minoritisedwomen (14)

Emotional support, includingindividual, group and specialisedtherapeutic support.

IT support, including IT provisionfor organisations to improve theirreach and online services, as wellas IT equipment for womenexperiencing VAWG.

Practical support, includingextra staffing in a refuge,specialist DV advocates,accessing entitlements,resettlement, and translation.

FUNDED ORGANISATIONS

African Women's CareAfrican Youth Development AssociationAnah ProjectThe Angelou CentreApna HaqBaobab Women's Project C.I.C.Granby Somali Women's GroupHalo ProjectHemat Gryffe Women's AidHumraazKiran Support ServicesKWISALatin American Women's Aid RefugeMiddle Eastern Women and Society OrganisationNottingham Muslim Women's NetworkPanahgharPhoebeRefugee Women of BristolRochdale Womens Welfare AssociationRoj Women AssociationRoshni BirminghamSaheliShakti Women's AidThe Sharan ProjectSistah SpaceSister SystemUtulivu Women's Group

Kensington and ChelseaCroydonBradfordNewcastle upon TyneRotherhamBirminghamLiverpoolMiddlesbroughGlasgow CityBlackburn with DarwenWaltham ForestCity of EdinburghHackneyIslingtonNottinghamCoventryIpswichBristol, City ofRochdaleHaringeyBirminghamManchesterCity of EdinburghWestminsterHackneyHaringeyReading

£14,562£7,302£34,922£33,893£18,748£20,000£20,000£26,600£20,000£32,344£35,000£19,000£34,900£19,968£19,703£34,250£20,000£15,142£18,750£19,880£31,470£34,890£35,000£19,492£20,000£7,292£20,000

As Imkaan has consistently stated, "the effect of VAWG is cumulative, it willrequire sustainable long-term resourcing for the specialist Black andminoritised women’s sector to address the immediate and long-termconsequences of the two pandemics."

The need for this fund cannot be overstated. We're therefore continuing tolisten to the sector and mobilise resources, with the aim of helpingorganisations to adapt and increase their provision in the long-term.

LOOKING FORWARDS