NATIONAL LOTTERY  COMMUNITY FUND 

 MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT FOR BAME OLDER PEOPLE

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Dagenham Bangladeshi Women and Children’s Association has received a funding from the Coronavirus Community Support Fund, distributed by The National Lottery Community Fund. The fund will help older people of BAME community to improve their mental health during Covid-19 pandemic. Thanks to the Government for helping our community.

Many older BAME people in our local area  have developed mental health problem during Covid-19 pandemic. They  have no online or digital skill to keep contact with friends and relatives. They cannot go outside of their residences due to lock down and Government  restrictions. They cannot participate in physical activity. Many of them have suffered from the coronavirus infection  and lost their relatives. All these made older people mentally ill and they need urgent mental health support to improve their condition. 

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We have started a project on 15 October 2020  receiving the funding from the National Lottery Community Fund to support BAME older people who have developed mental health illness.  We have recruited five local volunteers and distributed leaflets in the local area. We have recruited 25 BAME older people.  We have stared the project delivery on line and using digital equipment. We recruited a Digital trainer to develop digital skill of the older people so that they can receive mental health counselling support. We have recruited a Mental Health Counsellor from the BAME group who understand culture of the BAME people. Volunteers work as befriending to the older people. They manage date and timings for the Counsellor.     

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We have been monitoring the project interviewing participants on phone and face to face. We have found that they have improved their mental health. They have developed their digital skill and keep contacts with friends and relatives. They have received advice from counsellor on how to manage their mental health during this crisis time. The project will be completed on 31st March 2021.

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                            Publicity leaflet

Befriending and face to face monitoring interview by volunteers

End of our Project on 31 March 2021

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We will complete our six months project on 31 March 2021. We have tried our best to support our community during this crisis time with limited resources. We faced many barriers to deliver the project online. Our seven years old website was closed down by the BT in December 2020. Our staffs and volunteers have no experience in online project delivery. Many of our participants had no knowledge in using digital technology.  Online project delivery was a challenge for our organisation. The project has supported our organisation to develop IT skill of staffs and volunteers and use of digital equipment to participants. The  project has supported our organisation to develop its new business plan and to create a new website. Thanks Government and National Lottery to support our organisation and our community.

Participants who are yet to provide their telephone feedback, please do so on or before 31 March. Our volunteers are keeping contact with you. If our project helps you to make a difference in your mental health and well-being then our efforts will be successful. Your improvement is our success. Mental health illness needs much time to recover. We have been trying to continue the project after the project period ends. We are looking for new sources of funding. If any participants needs urgent help please contact us, we will refer you to other organisations who run similar projects. 

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