Co-op Warm Spaces Funding Boost has provided £5,250 of match funding
Cost of Living Crisis Fund
London, Greater London, United Kingdom
Aim
The project aim to assist and improve the health and wellbeing, provide warm safe and affordable childcare services, creating community
I Jenny Kayala, the founder of Jenny Kayala Childcare and youth wellbeing started this project with some African women and other families ( Bangladeshi, Eastern European, British) after noticing the effect of mental health issues and financial crisis on families with children with special needs especially after the pandemic. I work with children and youth with special needs as an Autistic specialist at schools and homes. I am Ofsted registered childminder and also an Early year Educator. I noticed that most of the African families and some other ethnicities that have children with special needs (Especially Autism) that I visited their homes or mind their children believe that their children are either 'Caused' 'Taboo' or 'witchcraft' meaning bad luck to the family and community.
This makes me really sad and I had to start educating, assisting and caring for these families especially the women. I explained to them how beautifully, special and unique there children are. Some of these parents accepted and seek for support and medical support while some decides to take these children back home for spiritual healings.
Most of these families struggled to pay for their childcare cost because their children are special needs and they need 1:1 support in daycare/ childminders. Some of these parents have left their jobs because of the amount of times schools/nursery/ childminders have called them to pick up their children due to the children undergoing some crisis which they cannot handle.
These parents are stressed and they cannot handle the stress at all causing mental health issues. Some men cannot handle the stress and they have left their partners or wife alone to mind the children by themselves. Most of these African women have become single parent and are undergoing some mental health issues.
Together we stand at Jenny Kayala
So we all decided that we stand together to tackle mental health and address other issues that most African women and other families are facing within our community.
Jenny Kayala Childcare and youth wellbeing is a Community interest organizations that encourage and support local African women and other families who have special needs children and youth mostly (Autism syndrome disorder) that are affected by mental issues and anxiety facing isolation due to cultural/social barriers; the pandemic -after- effect and the current economic crisis.
Our Ideas at Jenny Kayala Childcare and youth wellbeing
The project aim to assist and improve the health and wellbeing, provide safe and affordable childcare services, creating community engagement, for the African women, other families, youth and their children were access to mainstream services locally are limited and language barriers are prominent. It will also focus on heard-to- reach women with language barriers; single parents who face negative discrimination/financial hardships/unemployment and self-neglect all as well as caring for their Autistic children.
Major obstacles these women highlighted was financial hardships, and lack of appropriate services for them to access or difficulty in accessing mainstream services due to cultural/language barriers. For example, more than 50% of mothers with Autistic children that are Africans and other ethnicities have been told that their children are victims of witchcraft by their own family members or community. This is because some of these parents does not have a good understanding of what Autism is and so therefore cannot meet the needs of their children when they are going through crisis or challenging behaviour.
They also lack credible support networks and in most cases this has led to them feeling lonely; depressed or anxious. They have begun to lose their confidence/self- esteem and motivation about their lives and lack confidence to engage in positive community and wellbeing activities.
This project successfully funded on 20th February 2023