Finding the right place at the right time! That is how it felt to meet Loraine from Women's Aid South Lanarkshire and East Renfrewshire (WASLER), the manager of their children and young people (CYP) team.
Searching for a cause in our community that we could support we first contacted WASLER in January 2020 by phone. As with others of their branches, this office also supports and empowers women, children and young people who have experienced domestic abuse. Statistics are alarming: it's estimated over 100,000 children in Scotland experience domestic abuse and because domestic abuse is under-reported, these figures are likely to be much higher. Speaking to Loraine, the physical, social, emotional and behavioural impact on the affected children and young people soon became our main topic. The help offered outside of WASLER often views them as bad, mad or sad and provides behavioural therapy or anti-depressant medication as a remedy.
Loraine's team, however, adapted a radically different approach! The starting point of their support is the acknowledgement of the experience of trauma, and the results of their work so far have proved them right. We knew therefore that we came to offer our support to the right place.
We heard of Loraine's vision to turn their current children's room into a multipurpose space with sensory facilities. However, we soon recognised that their plans are limited due to lack of funds. When encouraged to dream big, Loraine spontaneously smiled, "This room can easily use £10,000" for refurbishment.
Despite being a small church of 15 members on the books, we want to dream big with WASLER! So, we are putting £10,000 as our target figure in support of this project. We are not motivated by how amazing this room can be, but by the fact that 240 children, young people and by extension their mothers would benefit from the use of this room every 9 months!
Bibiana handing her donation to Elder Gordon
The church board without hesitation voted £1,600 as our immediate donation and Bibiana was the first who embarked on a further fundraising adventure. She made her appeal simple: "I am going to turn 7 on 17 February. So, I would like to give you 7 days to give me £7 as a birthday gift" in support of WASLER.
Thanks to generous people from near and far, even from abroad, she managed to meet her ambitious online target of £280 and altogether presented an envelope with £352 to Elder Gordon in church.
Encouraged by this wonderful start, we further brainstormed and together with prayer will attempt to get as close as possible to the £10,000 mark.
May your church help others to dream big too!
