Money given to support women and girls across the West Midlands and Warwickshire
A Coventry-based charity has created a 'Women and Girls' Fund.
Last updated 7th Aug 2024
A Coventry-based charity has set up a fund to support women and girls across the West Midlands and Warwickshire.
A pledge was made by the Heart of England Community Foundation on International Women's Day to set up a support system - which has now been met.
The fund has been seeded with ÂŁ50,000 - with businesses and individuals being encouraged to also back the initiative.
The pledge to create the fund was made by Tina Costello OBE, Chief Executive of the Heart of England Community Foundation, during an event at the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham on International Women’s Day in March 2024.
Moved by the stories shared by women from diverse backgrounds, Tina – who was recently awarded an OBE for services to charities and the voluntary sector - vowed to establish a fund dedicated to supporting women and girls across the region.
Tina said: "There are some frightening statistics out there about the plight of women and girls in our region.
“In the West Midlands, police received 32,000 calls last year to their helpline for women – each one a cry for help. A quarter of all women will suffer from domestic abuse at some point in their lives. Women earn around 18 percent less than their male counterparts, and 26 percent of girls aged 16 to 19 are suffering from mental health issues.
“I couldn’t sit there and hear such a range of stories and do nothing about it, so I made a pledge that night that we’d launch this fund. Here we are, just a few months on, and thanks to the support of so many people we’re able to do it.”
The Foundation will use the fund to provide grants to a range of women and girls projects across the region over the next 12 months. The fund will support activities that improve access to sports and recreation; tackle domestic violence; create opportunities through training, work, entrepreneurship and volunteering; support reproductive rights, sex education, and promote positive mental health and self-esteem.
Tina continued: "We need support to reach our goal of ÂŁ100,000. Every donation will be matched up to ÂŁ50,000, doubling the impact. We can also claim gift aid on qualifying donations. By contributing to this fund, your donations will mean we can support many local charities and initiatives that empower women and girls across the region."