- Women’s Aid Northern Ireland are one of twenty initiatives to receive share of
£9.1 million funding from Comic Relief. - The charity will use the Comic Relief funding of £600,000 across three years to
deliver an exciting new project that will support children up to age of five and
their mum’s who experience domestic abuse. - New Change Makers programme supporting thousands of vulnerable people
over 5 years throughout the Covid-19 recovery - For more information on Comic Relief funding visit www.comicrelief.com
Comic Relief has today announced a brand-new £9.1 million programme to support new initiatives that will deliver vital long-term support to thousands of vulnerable people across the UK during the Covid-19 recovery.
One of the successful recipients is Women’s Aid NI who will use an investment of £600,000 over 3 years that will support children up to age of five and their mum’s who experience domestic abuse. Despite being some of the biggest victims of domestic abuse, children are often overlooked or forgotten. Funding will help develop a network of champions to advocate for children and their mums, train professionals to better understand their needs, and work to shift policy and practice across Northern Ireland to help young children and mums survive and thrive.
Sarah Mason, CEO of Women’s Aid Federation NI, said;
Women’s Aid believes the best way to support a young child experiencing domestic abuse is by supporting their mums. With Comic Relief’s funding, and the support of our eight Local Women’s Aid groups in Northern Ireland and their specialist Children Support teams, we’ll be able to work closely with families with experience of domestic abuse to better understand their needs. In doing so, we will be able to ensure that they, and other families in Northern Ireland, are provided with the best possible support.
The Change Makers programme is launching twenty new initiatives involving 45
organisations, spanning all four nations of the UK, over the next five years. They will tackle serious issues that have seen increased demand for help throughout the pandemic including homelessness, domestic abuse and mental health. The programme aims to find innovative solutions to problems affecting vulnerable people that have been overlooked or under resourced at a local, regional and national level.
Samir Patel, CEO of Comic Relief, said:
It’s fantastic that through our new Change Makers programme we are able to support 20 ‘game changing’ projects that are working with thousands of vulnerable people and families throughout the UK. Each project aims to provide vital long-term support and make a real positive impact on communities hardest hit by the pandemic.
For more information on different Comic Relief funding opportunities
visit www.comicrelief.com/funding
ENDS
Notes to Editors
For more information please contact:
Sonya McMullan – Regional Services Manager at Women’s Aid Federation NI
028 9024 9041
The eight local Women’s Aid organisations across Northern Ireland working with Women’s Aid Federation Northern Ireland are:
- Antrim, Ballymena, Carrickfergus, Larne, & Newtownabbey Women’s Aid
- Armagh Down Women’s Aid
- Belfast & Lisburn Women’s Aid
- Causeway & Mid Ulster Women’s Aid
- Fermanagh Women’s Aid
- Foyle Women’s Aid
- North Down & Ards Women’s Aid
- Omagh Women’s Aid
For more information about Comic Relief please contact:
media@comicrelief.com
020 7820 2500
The organisations receiving funding are:
- Dingley’s Promise
- Kinship
- Women’s Aid Northern Ireland, and eight local Women’s Aid organisations across
Northern Ireland - Women’s Health and Family Services and Ratio
- Southall Black Sisters with Angelou Centre, Latin American Women’s Rights Service,
- Safety for Sisters and Ubuntu Women’s Shelter
- Wearside Women In Need with Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse
- Women’s Budget Group
- RECLAIM with Pankhurst Trust
- Justice and Care
- Centre for Knowledge Equity
- Ashley Community & Housing with Refuge, Asylum and Migration Policy Bristol
- Scottish Refugee Council
- Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group
- Advonet, with Leeds Mind and the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care
- Partnership
- Power The Fight
- Midaye Somali Development Network
- UK Youth, with The Diana Award and the Centre of Mental Health
- Groundswell, working with On Our Radar
- Housing Justice Cymru working with partners Tai Pawb, The Wallich, Welsh Refugee Council, and Oasis Cardiff
- Centre for Homelessness Impact
About Comic Relief
Comic Relief raises money to support people living incredibly tough lives. Through humour and stories of hope, we’ve shown that people can make a massive difference. We fund hundreds of amazing organisations who are working on the ground to support the most vulnerable people and communities in society including many of those hardest hit by the coronavirus crisis. This includes vulnerable children and young people, people who are homeless or who have been forced to flee their homes, women and families at risk of domestic abuse and those struggling with existing or new mental health problems.
Comic Relief, which is the operating name of Charity Projects, registered charity 326568 (England/Wales); SC039730 (Scotland)
About Women’s Aid Northern Ireland
Women’s Aid is the lead voluntary organisation in Northern Ireland addressing domestic abuse and provides vital support services for women, children & young people. Each Women’s Aid group offers a range of specialist services to women, children and young people who have experienced domestic abuse. They are all members of Women’s Aid Federation Northern Ireland.
What We Do
- Provide refuge accommodation to women and their children suffering mental, physical
or sexual abuse within the home. - Provide a range of support services to enable women who are leaving a violent
situation to rebuild their lives and the lives of their children. - Run preventative education programmes in schools and other settings.
- Educate and inform the public, media, police, courts, social services and other
agencies of the impact and effects of domestic abuse. - Advise and support agencies in the development of domestic abuse policies, protocols and service delivery, and
- Work in partnership with relevant agencies to ensure a joined-up response to domestic abuse.