International Women�s Day 2018

This year for International Women’s Day 2018, #IWD2018, we want to celebrate the charities who help, uplift and work towards the betterment of women. We are focusing on several charities over the next few days and we want to show and tell you about some of the work they do.

SHARAN PROJECT

The Sharan Project is a national charity supporting South Asian women in the UK. We work to support women who have been or are at risk of being disowned due to persecution or abuse, to include, forced marriage, domestic violence, honour-based abuse, dowry violence and other harmful practices.
Many women face rejection and disownment from families or communities for simply escaping abuse, leaving them isolated and alone, we work to help them to rebuild their lives and that of their children by empowering them to identify the options and choices available, so they can make informed decisions as to what to do next.

The word �?Sharan’ means shelter or protection in Hindi or Sanskrit and to give �?sharan’ is a gift. Sharan is also a girls name so when calling our service the phone will read �?dialling sharan’ or when sending us an email, often women start with �?Dear Sharan’ making access to support easier, safer and non-judgmental.

Polly has been supporting South Asian women for over 20 years. In 2008 she identified a gap in service provision available for women who have been or are at risk of being disowned and who require long term support towards leading a successful independent life without fear, as a result she set up The Sharan Project. Using her life savings and at great personal risk, she took an idea to support some of the most vulnerable members of society and turned it into a reality. Last year Polly received the Points of Light Award for The Sharan Project, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjIYzWnXp3w
You can find out more about the Sharan Project here.
www.sharan.org.uk
0844 504 3231
Text SHRN12 £10 to 70070 to donate to The Sharan Project

SHIVA FOUNDATION

Shiva Foundation, as part of Shiva Hotels, was set up to tackle modern slavery and human trafficking. Since its inception in 2012, the Foundation has developed functional models that support businesses, local communities and governments to tackle modern slavery by facilitating a more collaborative and systemic approach to steering change.
The Foundation coordinates a multi-agency modern slavery partnership in Hertfordshire, made up of key partners such as the police, Police and Crime Commissioner, local authority, Salvation Army, Immigration Enforcement and HMRC.
Since the group’s inception, over 1500 people have been trained within Hertfordshire and over 100 incidents of modern slavery have been recorded since January 2017.

In addition, the Foundation has been instrumental in creating an industry wide best practice model to fight modern slavery in the hotel industry. They are working closely with big brand businesses across the UK to ensure that they go beyond simply just complying with the transparency in supply chains clause (TISC) in the Modern Slavery Act.
Find out more about the Shiva Foundation here http://www.shivafoundation.org.uk/

SAHR – STRATEGIC ADVOCACY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

SAHR, led by women from across the world with expertise in law, activism, and academia, work to make justice more impactful and accessible to those who need it most.

Over a decade ago, a group of human rights lawyers came together over a troubling realization: survivors of gender-based violence rarely have recourse to justice that really makes a difference in their lives – if any legal resources are available to them at all. So, they began working informally with other legal professionals to open paths to truly transformative justice in places where it is scarcest. Gradually, they developed additional tools and resources to complement to the legal dimension of our work and provide holistic support for survivors.
In the fight for truly transformative justice, we pursue remedies informed by each survivor’s individual needs and notions of justice – from formal court proceedings to community-based practices to legal reform.

At its core, our work is about eliminating structural violence against women and other marginalized groups by making legal systems fairer and more accessible to them.
The initiative grew into Strategic Advocacy for Human Rights (SAHR). In 2013, they registered in New York as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in order to sustain our efforts to advance gender equality.

You can find out more about the organisation on its website, http://www.sa-hr.org/

LLAMAU

Llamau is a registered charity supporting women facing homelessness throughout Wales. Women who are homeless have different issues and needs to men, and Llamau believes that different kinds of support should be offered to women so that they can leave homelessness behind.

Supporting women who are homeless means so much more than simply putting a roof over their heads. Llamau provides refuge accommodation for women and their children fleeing abusive relationships, and gender-specific support for women who would not be comfortable in a mixed-gender environment. By providing ongoing support that helps women to build the skills, resilience and confidence to live independently and purposefully in their communities, Llamau is committed to breaking the cycle of homelessness for women in Wales.
Domestic abuse is the leading cause of homelessness for women, and Llamau also delivers early intervention and prevention workshops in schools and community settings to educate future generations about healthy relationships and to end the cycle of abuse.
Read more about the causes of homelessness for women, and how you can support Llamau to end homelessness for women in Wales, on Llamau’s website https://www.llamau.org.uk/Pages/Category/about-homelessness-for-women �?

BINTI

Binti International a UK registered charity with an office in Gurugram Haryana India. Binti” means “young lady” in Swahili, “daughter of” in Arabic, and “request” in Punjabi. Their vision is to create a world where all women have menstrual dignity.
Through their work, Binti’s mission is:
To improve access to menstrual products for women around the world, either by training them to make their own pads or by donating them.
To educate girls and boys about the menstrual cycle, so that we can ensure that the future generations are not riddled with taboos and stigma.
To advocate for the normalisation of menstruation, fight against the myths and stigma around it that persist across the globe and smash shame.
We know we can’t change the whole world over night, but we also know that changing the life of one girl will go on to change the lives of many, many more as she spreads her knowledge, understanding and message of dignity. That’s why at Binti, we work for one girl, and for every girl.

You can find out more about Binti on their website and social media handles below.

BINTI.CO.UK

Twitter @Binti_Period
Instagram @binti.period
Facebook.com/binti.period
LinkedIn Binti International
Youtube Binti.Period

SAHR – STRATEGIC ADVOCACY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

SAHR, led by women from across the world with expertise in law, activism, and academia, work to
make justice more impactful and accessible to those who need it most.
Over a decade ago, a group of human rights lawyers came together over a troubling realization:
survivors of gender-based violence rarely have recourse to justice that really makes a difference in their lives – if any legal resources are available to them at all. So, they began working informally with other legal professionals to open paths to truly transformative justice in places where it is scarcest.

Gradually, they developed additional tools and resources to complement to the legal dimension of
our work and provide holistic support for survivors.
In the fight for truly transformative justice, we pursue remedies informed by each survivor’s
individual needs and notions of justice – from formal court proceedings to community-based
practices to legal reform.