Grant scheme funds welcome kits for young refugees
Arrival packs for displaced children and clothing for men re-entering the workforce are some of the community projects to have secured funding from a university grant scheme.
More than £45,000 has been shared across 12 groups in the latest round of the University’s Community Grants.
Applications are now open for the next round of the fund, with local groups and charities having the opportunity to secure money to support their projects in the Edinburgh City region.
Apply now
The Community Grant Scheme is now open for applications until Sunday 13 October 2024.
Welcoming refugees
Benefiting from the latest round of grants is Re-Act: Refugee Action Scotland. A grant of more than £4,800 has been used to help create welcome kits for children seeking refuge in Edinburgh.
Over the past year, the charity has seen an increase in the number of young arrivals from overseas countries. Often this includes children with little to no possessions after being displaced from their homes.
The grant is already making a big difference to us. The past year has seen the number of young unaccompanied asylum seekers skyrocket and this money has helped alleviate financial pressures so that we can continue to help vulnerable children create their home in Edinburgh.
After arriving in Edinburgh each child is given a backpack containing toiletries, clothing, stationery and a welcome activity booklet to introduce them to the city. Other items, such as laptops, cooking utensils and rice cookers are also available based on need.
Since April, the charity – working with the City of Edinburgh Council – has helped 30 boys and girls who have been displaced from a range of countries including Afghanistan, Syria and Vietnam. Nearly 1,000 packs have been distributed across Scotland since it began in 2015.
Worthy causes
Another charity to benefit from a grant is Grassroots Clothing. The charity equips unemployed and disadvantaged men with interview outfits to help them to successfully secure a job.
Founded in 2015, the charity provides a range of new and preloved clothes to individuals who often can’t afford to buy clothing for job interviews.
A further funded project focuses on storytelling and breakfast sessions to support pregnant women and mothers living in areas of deprivation.
The sessions, run by Pregnancy and Parents Centre, are being piloted to bring mothers and their children together to address issues around food poverty and isolation.
Job interviews can be such a daunting task so having suitable clothing to wear that you feel confident and professional in is really important. Grants such as this really help us to continue to support people, who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford interview clothes, get back into the world of work.
Positive change
Since launching in 2017, the University’s Community Grant Scheme has awarded more than £732,000to groups and charities across Edinburgh.
The scheme is key part of the University’s community plan which outlines activities and initiatives it is undertaking to deliver positive change for people in the local area.
It is important to us that the University supports and enhances the city it resides in. Our community grants are one of the ways that we can directly work with, and support impact, in our local communities. We are delighted that we have been able to provide funding to so many groups working on innovative projects and initiatives, and that these projects continue to make a huge difference to people’s lives.
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