Baby Basics celebrates generous funding awards to support vulnerable mums-to-be with baby essentials
Knowsley-based charity The Big Help Project (Knowsley Foodbank) is celebrating after being awarded two grants, with a combined total of £6,000 from the Eleanor Rathbone Trust and LCVS, which will to provide vulnerable Mums-to-be with essential baby items through the project Baby Basics Knowsley.
The Eleanor Rathbone Trust grant of £2,000 and a £4,000 grant from Liverpool Charity and Voluntary Services will enable the Big Help Project to provide essential baby packages to vulnerable Mothers in the community, who could not otherwise afford them. These packages include: a Moses basket, clothing 0-3 months, bedding, toiletries for mother and baby, a cuddly toy for baby, and a small gift for mum.
The Baby Basics Knowsley branch was set up by the Big Help Project in 2014, as part of a national scheme based in Sheffield. This project aims to provide vulnerable Mums-to-be with essential baby items, that they would not otherwise be able to purchase. Clients are referred to the project by health-care professionals working closely with Mums-to-be, such as midwives. The vulnerable Mums-to-be includes those fleeing domestic violence, those having a teenage pregnancy, asylum seekers, victims of trafficking or abandonment, and those living in poverty.
This funding has been awarded at a time when gendered violence against women, a prevalent issue within our society, is at the forefront of media and national discussion. ‘Gendered violence against women’ includes a wide spectrum of problems such as direct and indirect discrimination, through to abuse faced by women on a day-today basis, across the UK. Many of the vulnerable women who require the support of Baby Basics are in their current circumstances due to gendered violence, such as domestic abuse or trafficking. Gendered violence in our community can mean a woman and her family are forced to flee an abusive member in their household, and will now have a lower financial income as they become a single-parent family; or may not have been able to take their belongings when fleeing, and they have to begin again completely.
This funding means that we can support the women in our community, who are not only at risk of gendered violence, but are also pregnant and preparing for a new life to care for. The provision of essential baby items not only helps these women to prepare for the arrival of a baby, but empowers them to stand independently. If a woman is pregnant and alone, unable to afford the essentials that she requires for a new-born, that uncertainty and poverty may force her to return to her adverse circumstances, such as returning to her abuser, if she feels she has nowhere else to turn. The provision of essential baby items, and the knowledge of the support available to her, means that she can be empowered and supported out of her circumstances. It can be the first step to a woman taking back control of her life and beginning a new journey.
Anna McKeown, co-ordinator of Baby Basics Knowsley, said: “We are absolutely delighted and extremely grateful to both the Eleanor Rathbone Trust and Liverpool Charity and Voluntary Services for these grants. This funding means that we can reach out and support some of the most vulnerable women in our community; soon-to-be-Mums who don’t have the necessary resources for essential baby items. We can ensure that Mum and baby have the best possible start on the wonderful journey that is Motherhood, as well as do our part to support the women so affected by gendered violence.”