The impact of the Health Foundation’s charitable donations during the pandemic

The organisations already receiving support have included three concentrating on work relating to women and family services, as part of Changemakers - Women and Family Grants, and nine tackling violence against women and girls under the Supporting and Sustaining Specialism programme. 

Midaye Somali Development Network, for example, is part of the Changemakers programme. They have received over £60k from the Health Foundation charitable donation, providing 6 months of funding and support for their project, which aims to transform the mental health of migrant women. They provide holistic and peer support, as well as learning and advocacy to expand the support available to migrant women.  

Emma Stevenson, Comic Relief's Head of Funding Partnerships, said:

‘Comic Relief has been thrilled to partner with the Health Foundation and we are really grateful for the £1m donation, which has meant that front-line organisations at the heart of communities most impacted by the pandemic can achieve life-changing impact. It’s important now, more than ever, that funders work together and listen to the needs and aspirations of local charities and communities, in order to leverage funding to where it's most needed.’ 

For instance, £33.5k for Womenzone Community Centre is helping to support young people living in poverty and at risk of mental health issues in East Bradford, by offering mental health workshops, physical activities, careers advice and trips. And £34k is helping deliver one-to-one counselling and family therapy to young people in Doncaster who have experienced sexual violence. Meanwhile, over £38k granted to London-based Every Parent & Child is helping them deliver counselling and drop-in sessions for children and young people with learning disabilities, to help increase self-esteem, and develop coping mechanisms and social skills. 

One such grassroots organisation helped by the appeal, was The Charter House Resource Centre in Burnley, which supports individuals with learning disabilities, physical disabilities or sensory needs, as well as their families and carers. Their team visits homes to carry out welfare checks, deliver cooked meals and supply packed lunches to children who would otherwise go without. The funding enabled the Centre to drastically expand its services in line with the surge in need, increasing the number of meals it prepared and delivered from 60 to almost 700 per week. 

Another example includes Cymru Creations in South Wales. Funding enabled them to support older people who were shielding, with shopping, collecting and delivering medicine, and to provide a DVD exchange service. The team of volunteers made up to 30 trips a day for those unable to leave their homes. 

Mhairi Sharp, National Emergencies Trust Chief Executive said:

‘We are incredibly thankful to the Health Foundation for its generous support. It enabled grassroots groups and national charities across the UK to bolster their capacity and evolve their services quickly as the needs of their communities changed. It meant those feeling lonely were offered mental health support from a safe social distance, those isolating could receive vital deliveries of food and essentials, and many thousands of children could be connected to their friends and their schoolwork. It has also enabled thousands of small charities to digitise their operations, leaving a positive legacy of more inclusive and accessible services for the future.’ 

Just one example of the effort to raise worldwide vaccination rates, is a project to improve logistics in Bangladesh, to help raise coverage from less than half of the population being fully vaccinated, to a target of 70%. Another focuses on vaccine misinformation, with more than 600 volunteers in Kyrgyzstan being recruited to conduct door-to-door visits to households, to explain the benefits of vaccination to those who are hesitant. 

Supporting front-line health care work, 800,000 units of face masks and 12,500 isolation gowns have been delivered to health facilities across Ukraine. And, more than 16 countries are preparing to receive their orders of UNICEF’s innovative and life-saving emergency solution, the Oxygen Plant-in-a-Box, a device that can produce enough oxygen to treat up to 50 COVID-19 patients, or 100 children with severe pneumonia.