THREE vital Warwickshire charities supporting women who have experienced domestic violence, rape, sexual abuse and complex challenges have each been awarded £10,000.
Heart of England Community Foundation announced it has awarded £10,000 to RoSA in Rugby, Safeline in Warwick, and The Esther Project in Leamington, from its Women and Girls Fund.
The Foundation is also backing calls for the government to create a specific fund which supports women and girls nationally.
The announcement was made on International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which marks the start of 16 days of activism against gender-based violence and calls for global solidarity to end violence against women and girls everywhere.
The £100,000 fund was established to provide donations to a range of women and girls projects across the region – with ten charities all receiving £10,000.
All three of the charities in Warwickshire will be using the funds to help cover the cost of core services and staffing.
RoSA, an organisation which provides services for women and girls across Warwickshire who have experienced sexual abuse, sexual assault or violence, rape, domestic violence, or child sexual exploitation (CSE), will be using the funds to deliver its counselling and support services.
Safeline is a specialist charity dedicated to supporting survivors of sexual abuse aged three plus and anyone affected and preventing its occurrence, providing services include trauma-informed counselling, creative therapies, independent sexual violence advocacy, and prevention and early intervention services and will be putting the donation towards staff costs.
The Esther Project, which provides trauma-informed support to women over the age of 18 facing complex challenges including domestic abuse, addiction, homelessness, poor mental health, and contact with the criminal justice system, will also be covering staff costs with the funding.
Lianne Kirkman, founding director of The Esther Project, said: “The funding will be used to help us develop as an organisation – we launched around 14 months ago and it’s so difficult to get off the ground as a new charity, so this money is literally supporting our foundations.”
