Submitted by kasim.bukhari_11773 on
This Mental Health Awareness Week, 13-17 May 2024, we would like to share success stories from our member organisations who have received grants from Action Together, which have enabled them to make a positive impact to the mental wellbeing of those in the community.
Project name: Prioritising women’s self-care and self-love for mental wellbeing
Funding: One Oldham Fund (OOF) Micro Grant Application (micro grants £1,000)
Girls with Pride and Dignity (GPD) is a non-profit organisation that aims at fighting for Gender equality and equal opportunities for women and girls across the globe.
GPD applied for the OOF Micro Grant as they wanted to expand their activities and sessions that have a positive impact on people’s lives. They recognised that people from all walks of life are struggling with mental health issues and need opportunities to overcome them. They had positive feedback from many women who had participated in their activities and became happier and healthier. Their projects encourages the community to stay connected and share their life stories and challenges.
"Our project aims to support women’s mental wellbeing by creating diverse and inclusive opportunities for them to get together and enjoy regular activities. We work with women from different backgrounds, especially African, and help them gain the knowledge and skills to make confident choices and participate in decisions about their own health. We collaborate with other groups from British and Asian backgrounds to introduce new ideas and methods that can improve women’s health and mental wellbeing."
GPD run sessions called “The Self-Love Table”, in which a special guest is invited to share their own struggles and successes with mental health in a safe space. During these sessions, topics are shared that help women improve their lifestyle, and better ways to increase self-love and self-care. The sessions are run once a month and are attended by 50 women.
A most recent guess was a world-famous top model, who shared her experiences of dealing with online bullying, which allowed attendees that realise that mental health affects everyone, regardless of their social status. Following the success of the session and the high demand for more, GPD applied for the OOF Micro Grant as they wanted to increase the frequency of these sessions, so that more people can benefit from it.
GPD expected the following outcomes for the project:
- Improved mental health for the women who will participate to it
- Increased self-love, self-care and self-confidence for the women who participate in this activity
- Reduced isolation and increased social capital for the women who participate in the activity
- Enhanced cultural awareness and appreciation for the women who participate in this activity
- Increased participation and engagement in community life for the women who participate in this activity
"We aim to support women’s health and wellbeing by creating diverse and inclusive opportunities for them to get together, learn from each other and reduce isolation. The project also aims to help women gain the knowledge and skills to make confident choices and participate in decisions about their own health."
GPD were successful in their application for funding for the Prioritising women’s self-care and self-love for mental wellbeing project, and were awarded £1,000.
Since receiving their funding, GDP have been able to facilitate their Self-Love Table sessions, which have benefitted over 30 women so far!
"The highlights of this project has been that women discovered the best and right ways they can improve their self -love/self - care. It also helps learn from each other how to over come certain challenges caused by mental health.
The feedback from participants has always been amazing. They always leave saying that they would love to invite their friends to come and participate to our Self -Love Table session. It’s really making a big impact to the community’s mental wellbeing.
We would encourage more organisations help their community work on their mental health. There is a lot of negativity going on around the world and across the nation that is affecting people’s mental wellbeing. Bringing people together through different activities or events can help focus on the positive thinking."
Kana Josée Bizimana
Chief Executive at Girls with Pride and Dignity
To find out more about Girls with Pride and Dignity, click here
If you have queries about funding available from Action Together, contact our Funding team at funding@actiontogether.org.uk
If your group would like support with a funding application, please contact our Development team at development@actiontogether.org.uk