A COVENTRY organisation working with vulnerable children and young people who have experienced abuse has been awarded over £100,000 from BBC Children in Need.
Coventry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (CRASAC) has been awarded a three-year grant of £109,260 to provide anonymous counselling and therapeutic interventions to young people who have been sexually abused.
The project aims to improve confidence and well-being among those who have experienced emotional and physical abuse.
It aims to ensure they are kept safe while giving them the opportunity to express their feelings and overcome their difficulties on the way to becoming flourishing members of society.
Dianne Whitfield, chief executive at CRASAC, said: “We are delighted to have been successful at receiving this funding.
“We work with children from the age of five years. These children who have experienced sexual abuse are often confused about what has happened to them and what they’re feeling.
“Sexual abuse is multi-layered and can fundamentally attack a child’s sense of self in so many ways.
“This funding will enable CRASAC to provide child focused counselling which supports them to explore and communicate their trauma and confusion and to reconnect with themselves in a healthy way.
“With therapy children can begin to gain a sense of mastery over their world as they explore their experiences, and practice new ways of being within a safe space. A really huge thank you to BBC Children in Need for their support, it really will make a difference to the children we work with.”
The news means BBC Children in Need now has more than £1million invested in 14 projects across Coventry.
This is the first funding round of the year, with additional funding to be allocated to projects across the UK throughout this year.
Melinda Connelly, regional head of the Central region at BBC Children in Need, spoke of the importance of the work CRASAC undertakes.
She said: “All of the projects we fund work to make a real difference to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people, and these recently awarded projects really will go on to change young lives in the area.
“These grants simply wouldn’t be possible without the support of our incredible fundraisers, so thank you to everyone who have made these grants possible.”
BBC Children in Need has a Main Grants Programme for grants over £10,000 per year to support projects for up to three years. Meanwhile, our Small Grants Programme supports projects for up to three years, and includes grants up to and including £10,000 per year. Both of these programmes are currently open to applications.
To find out more about BBC Children in Need’s grant programmes or for information on how to apply for funding visit bbc.co.uk/pudsey/grants.
