With Christmas right around the corner it’s the perfect time to think about the ways we can celebrate the spirit of giving this festive season. Christmas is the season for spending time with family and friends, receiving and giving presents and enjoying our own small traditions. An important part of this season is giving to those who haven’t been gifted with the same privileges we have. Christmas is the best time to donate to causes you care about so here are some charities that support women in different ways!
Refuge Charity
This Charity is set up for women and children who have suffered from domestic violence. They offer a full range of specialist services to help survivors access safety and rebuild their lives. They treat every person’s circumstances differently and provide services that cover independent advocacy, culturally-specific services, child support workers, human trafficking and modern slavery, and some ‘one-stop shop’ services. The National Office for Statistics recorded 1.3 million women in 2018 have been subject to domestic violence and murders relating to domestic violence are at a five-year high. Refuge believes that no-one should have to live in fear of violence and abuse, so provide those who have been subject to domestic violence in any form the tools to rebuild their lives.
Bloody Good Period
This charity aims to end period poverty for women asylum seekers, refugees and those who can’t afford to buy these very essential products. They provide products for people who need them and a menstrual education to those less likely to access it. They have partnered with 40 asylum seeker drop in centres across the UK to help more people access the supplies they need to have a ‘bloody good period.’
My Body Back
My Body Back was created to help rebuild the lives of women who have experienced sexual violence. The charity works closely with the NHS to provide access to gynaecological healthcare, STI testing, cervical screenings, contraceptives and maternity care both pre and post birth. It looks to provide safe support and advice for women who do not always feel safe in their own skin after having experienced sexual violence.
Rights of Women
As well as advocating for the end of violence against women, this charity seeks to ensure that all women know their legal rights. It provides confidential and free legal advice to women on all aspects of law including criminal, family, asylum and immigration. It believes that through information and knowledge women can be empowered to stand up for their own rights.
The Malala Fund
Malala Yousafzai founded this fund to invest in local education and programmes that provide girls worldwide with a safe, quality education. This charity aims to break down the barriers that prevent over 130 million girls from an education. They strive for 12 years of free, safe quality education for every girl, calling on developing countries to spend 20% of their budget on education and donor countries to commit 15% of their aid to education.
Wish
Wish is the only UK-wide, user-led charity working with women’s mental health needs in prisons, hospitals and the community. It provides women with emotional support, guidance and independent advocacy to help them understand and navigate their own mental health as well as our criminal justice system. Wish acts to increase women’s participation in the services they receive, and campaigns to get their voice heard at a policy level.
Imkaan
Imkaan is a Black feminist organisation that works at a local, national and international level to address the violence that specifically affects black and minority ethnic (BME) women and girls. The organisation works with a range of organisations to improve policy and practice responses to women of colour around issues such as domestic violence, force marriage and ‘honour’-based violence.
It is important to remember at this time of the year, when dashing around the high streets trying to find the perfect gift for a loved one, the ways we can give to our wider community and to those in need. The work of these women’s charities is something to be in awe of and aspire to. We can all provide, donate and volunteer in our own way to help these charities make a difference to the lives of our fellow women. Charities are a great way to invest in causes that are not necessarily so obvious to us in our own lives, so donating to any charity, not just ones geared towards women, is an incredible thing to do this festive season.
Much HCX Love xox