Comic Relief supports COVID relief for BME communities
On Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day 2022, CRER’s Development Officer, Yasmin Luqman reflects on the ways Comic Relief’s Global Majority Fund has positively impacted Black and minority ethnic (BME) communities and organisations around Scotland over the last six months.
In February 2021, CRER was chosen as one of ten BME-led charities in the UK to fund hundreds of small projects using the Global Majority Fund - a £2.8 million grant funded by Comic Relief and the National Emergencies Trust. COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted BME people and put additional strains on BME charitable organisations across the country and as such, the fund’s purpose is to provide financial support to BME organisations struggling to continue their services because of the pandemic.
Demand for such funding was massive; 90 BME organisations across Scotland applied for over £1.3 million worth of funding, demonstrating the dire need for additional and consistent funding to support the vital work these organisations do for the people and communities with whom they work.
We delivered grants totalling £250,000 last summer to 17 BME charitable organisations in Scotland to support with their COVID-19 recovery work. You can find a list of the 17 organisations and a short summary of their work here.
Over 1000 service users across 17 organisations have been directly supported by this fund in the last six months. That being said, this total does not include service users who have been supported indirectly by the organisations who have used funding to support their core work to continue operating, such as funding additional staff members and increasing volunteer capacity.
The Global Majority Fund work can broadly be categorised into one or more of the following five areas of work:
Combatting domestic violence and gender-based violence: Two organisations are using funding to employ caseworkers and support BME women facing, or who are at risk of facing: domestic violence, gender-based violence, sexual exploitation or other similar crises. One service user thanked an organisation for their ‘consistent support’ and for informing her of her rights and mentioned that she ‘was struggling for options’ prior to their support.
Increasing employability, life skills, and other advocacy and advice: Six organisations are using funding to support their service users with increasing employability and/or improving their life skills. This includes:
Setting up training for young people without work experience or who are not currently enrolled in full-time education and also facing racial inequality to get tailored training and experience
Running a weekly advice surgery about topics such as housing, vaccination information, rights, and accessing NHS services
Supporting individuals and families with no recourse to public funds (NRPF) with advice and advocacy in different languages
Providing coaching and training courses for refugees and asylum seekers to support employability
Combatting isolation and loneliness: Six organisations are using funding to organise programmes which bring service users together safely to get them out of their homes and to re-establish social connections with each other. This includes:
Matching buddy volunteers with isolated asylum seekers and people with NRPF to maintain social contact and provide moral support
Setting up a Youth Forum for young people to get involved in their community and receive support
Providing mental health support: Six organisations are using funding to provide culturally sensitive mental health support and advice. Service users struggle to access mainstream mental health support due to factors like:
Social taboos and fear of judgment from others
Limited understanding about mental health issues and how support can be found
High costs of therapy sessions and other mental health support
Complex and high levels of trauma, particularly for people who have fled war and humanitarian crises
Lack of access to interpreters who can understand and speak service users’ dialects
Combatting malnutrition and food poverty: Two organisations are using funding to combat malnutrition and food poverty and these organisations have supported 66 people so far. One organisation has co-produced a map showing free and low-cost food points which has been published in six different languages, whilst another has organised healthy cooking workshops for elderly service users.
So what have we learned?
Across the board, the main lesson is that BME organisations are vastly underfunded and require long-term funding in order for their activities to continue operating and supporting their service users as much as possible.
While organisations have been capturing plenty of learning throughout their work so far, they have noted that their projects’ start-up processes have taken considerable time. It takes time for organisations to develop trust and relationships with their service users and to ensure that service users understand their needs are being treated with confidence and sensitivity. Several organisations commented on the time it has taken simply to reach out to service users before even commencing activities and that some have needed more support to join due to pandemic related factors, like a fear of contracting COVID-19 or additional childcare responsibilities due to school/nursery closures.
Other areas of learning were mentioned across several organisations’ reports which highlight the disproportionate challenges BME people have faced during the pandemic and recovery efforts. Digital exclusion was a key theme, with organisations reporting persistent challenges such as access to Wi-Fi/data, levels of digital skills and accessibility needs. It was reported that, generally, service users preferred to meet in person to partake in activities or seek advice rather than struggling to communicate online. Another key theme was misinformation or a lack of information which was related to literacy levels, community issues or individuals with NRPF being hesitant to engage with health service due to their immigration status.
Even prior to the pandemic, there was a massive demand for these organisations’ services and the effects of structural racism have exacerbated the demand for these services. As a result, several organisations created waiting lists for their funded services and projects to cope with the strain. Going forward, we look forward to seeing how the funding continues to better support these organisations and the wider sector and communities they serve. That being said, more consistent and more available funding is necessary to ensure the needs of BME people and community organisations are being supported and prioritised in Scotland’s COVID-19 recovery.