In honour of International Women’s Day: celebrating the women’s charities supported by A Good Thing
Here at A Good Thing, we focus on working to empower, support and protect women every day of the year – not only on International Women’s Day. Many charities have limited funding, and anything they can get hold of for free will help them to be able to devote more to their core programming. To mark the end of Women’s History Month, we wanted to shine a spotlight on the brilliant women’s charities who use our platform all year round.
Based in the UK and Sierra Leone, the Hawa Trust is on a mission to reduce the risk of girls and young women undergoing female genital mutilation FGM. It also supports those who have already been affected. The charity works tirelessly to meet its mission, running school programmes and workshops to educate about FGM, offering support services for survivors of FGM, and advocating for these issues (both in the UK and internationally).
The Hawa Trust is an especially active user of the A Good Thing platform: it was recently matched with computer equipment, laminators, toasters, stationery, desks and chairs, pint glasses and plates, three lovely sofas, toilet roll dispensers, armchairs, a glass conference table and a portable induction loop. This is a brilliant example of the wide array of different things that can be useful to a charity.
Housing insecurity is prevalent across the UK, but is a particular issue for women: in London, 65% of the Londoners in temporary accommodation are women, and most are ‘sofa surfing’. A Good Thing has been working with She Believes She Can, a charity founded in 2023 in response to this reality that is too often ignored.
Many women are navigating housing instability and unsafe living environments, known as ‘hidden homelessness’. The charity delivers structured programmes to women who are staying in unsafe relationships just to keep a roof over their heads; its support is trauma-informed and dignity-led. As a platform, we match She Believes She Can with items that can support women who are transitioning into safer living environments.
We’d also love to give a special shout-out to Smart Works Bristol a charity that supports women to get back into employment through confidence coaching and the provision of high-quality interview outfits. The charity was recently matched with 500 pairs of ladies’ trousers on the A Good Thing platform! Smart Works will use this clothing to prepare unemployed women for interviews, giving them the confidence to change the trajectory of their lives.
A Good Thing is also proud to match The Nelson Trust with useful items, ensuring the smooth running of its women’s community services across southeast England and Wales. Through the charity’s trauma-informed approach to lifelong recovery from addiction, these vital centres view women as human beings first – as individuals with strengths, interests and goals. The centres offer a full timetable of activities, including educational courses, drop-ins and life skills for women. Most of the centres also have onsite crèche facilities, making the support more easily accessible to mums.
Today and every day, A Good Thing is a place where women’s charities can source much-needed items and services, allowing them to allocate their funds to their core, vital services.