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The Women for Women International - Afghanistan team celebrating International Women's Day
During Ramadan, millions of Muslims around the world make major changes to their daily routines in order to connect more deeply with their faith and community – including our staff and the women we serve in Afghanistan.
We caught up with Afghanistan Programme Manager Storai, who shared an insight into what it's like delivering our training programmes and COVID-19 response efforts during this time. Read Storai's interview on our blog.
This year, the holy month of Ramadan has coincided with a third wave of COVID-19 in Afghanistan. The pandemic is making life harder than ever for our programme participants. The health crisis compounds the immense challenges of ongoing conflict, extreme poverty and gender-based violence.
Thanks to your support, Storai and her team have been able to provide food packages, hygiene kits and information on preventing transmission to some of the most vulnerable women in Afghanistan.
With social distancing measures and handwashing facilities in place, they’ve welcomed hundreds of women back to the classroom. They are on track to enrol a further 700 women in our programme during 2021, thanks to the commitment of our amazing supporters like you and generous funding from players of People's Postcode Lottery. During Ramadan this life-changing work continues, with a slightly adapted schedule.
Storai says: "During the training, women learn how to break down inequalities, deal with health issues, and take active roles in decision-making."
As food shortages, loss of income and strict lockdown restrictions take a growing toll on Afghan women’s physical and mental health, your support is offering a glimmer of hope and opportunity. Thank you.
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Exciting new IT courses!
Are you on furlough?
Are you unemployed?
Are you working part-time?
These courses are available to you! Why not add to your CV and increase your IT knowledge.
Contact Ingrid at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Our Childcare Staff have been busy over the winter months keeping in contact with the Mums and children via Zoom.
Click here to view/download our newsletter
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AmazonSmile customers can now support First Steps Women's Centre in the Amazon shopping app on iPhones and Android phones! Simply follow these instructions to turn on AmazonSmile and start generating donations.
- Open the Amazon Shopping app on your device
- Go into the main menu of the Amazon Shopping app and tap into 'Settings'
- Tap 'AmazonSmile' and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process
If you do not have the latest version of the Amazon Shopping app, update your app. Click here for instructions.
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If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact the Involvement Coordinator via email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or tel: 0800 917 0222
Information courtesy of Patient & Client Council
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Doctors of the World are really pleased to be able to share with you Coronavirus (Covid 19) guidance for patients in 21 languages. So far we have: English, Albanian, Dari, French, Pashto, Portuguese, Bengali, Vietnamese, Kurdish Sorani, Mandarin, Hindi, Urdu, Spanish, Portuguese, Malayalam, Turkish and Farsi. Amharic, Tigrinya, Somali and Arabic coming soon!
Please find them here: https://drive.google.com/open?
The guidance is based on the government's updated advice and health information. We really hope it will help to ensure this important guidance reaches migrant and asylum-seeking communities in the UK.
We would be happy if you could please share these with your patients, service users and your networks widely so that we reach all communities who would like this crucial information in their own language.
If you know someone who would find emails on this subject useful, then please do forward this to them.
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Congratulations to our Childcare Leader Helena and Assistant Leader Jacqueline on their recent Pearson Edexcel Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Children's Care, Learning and Development (Management).
The girls have made time for their studies while working in our busy Creche throughout the year!
Well done ladies - very well deserved!
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Our ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) students are learning about the different cultures of their fellow class mates.
Today we are learning about East Timor. Class students Sonia da Costa and Arsenia Guterres are proudly displaying their national costumes.
Looking fabulous ladies!!
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Our ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) students are learning about the different cultures of their fellow class mates.
Today they are learning about Lithuania and Rita Brazeviciene and Sarema Kieziate have kindly dressed up for the day!
Looking fabulous ladies!
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FSWC's FREE Benefit Check Service has idenified over £51,000 in additional benefits for men and women in the Mid-Ulster area.
As you can see from the above report, there has been 72 new referrals to our Service for the financial year ending 31st March 2018. This means that people are still unaware of the benefits they are entitled to.
Since Universal Credit has been computerised, we have been inundated with calls from people with little or no computer experience. This has also made it more difficult for our foreign national neighbours making this a necessary and vital service.
If you or someone you know would like to avail of this FREE service, please contact Gillian on (028) 8772 7648.
Please Note: This Service is only available on Thursdays & Fridays.
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Women's Aid (Mid Ulster Contact No 028 8676 9300)
Practical and emotional support is provided to women and children affected by domestic and sexual violence who choose to remain at home or in a community setting through a floating support service.
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Following a donation of £35,000, Asda Cookstown General Store Manager, Peter Beckett, and Asda Cookstown Community Champion, Janice Gibson, were delighted to attend the recent opening of the refurbished First Steps Women’s Centre in Dungannon on behalf of the Asda Foundation.
Aimed at transforming the lives of local women, the First Steps Women’s Centre provides educational and training support, alongside health and well-being services. As a direct result of the donation from Asda, the centre was able to improve the on-site facilities for service users through an extensive refurbishment project, including extending its childcare facilities.
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ABANDONED MILL MAKES WAY FOR NEW NATIONAL LOTTERY FUNDED FIRST STEPS WOMEN’S CENTRE
A women’s group in Dungannon has transformed an abandoned mill in the town with the help of National Lottery funding, creating a facility which is set to help improve the lives of women living in the Mid-Ulster area, and those newly arrived to the community.
First Steps Women’s Centre, an organisation which has worked for twenty years with women to help enhance their life prospects, is celebrating the launch of the new facility having received £350,000 in funding from the Big Lottery Funded Space & Place Programme.
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It was lovely to welcome the Space and Place people here today.
After tea and scones and an update from Project Manager Yvonne Corbett they had a wee duke at our on-going renovation work which they are kindly sponsoring.
As you can see they were all well impressed!
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We had a wee visit to see how the renovations were getting on last Thursday (before we left in the snow!).
Things are progressing nicely and it's amazing how the place has changed already.
Exciting times!
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News Release 13 February 2018
First Steps Women’s Centre in Dungannon is the latest local group to benefit from Asda Foundation support following a donation of £35k.
Aimed at transforming the lives of local women, the First Steps Women’s Centre provides educational and training support, alongside health and well-being services.
As a direct result of the donation, the centre is able to progress with a building refurbishment project, which will allow it to extend its childcare facilities for service users.
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