Like many charitable organisations who provide face-to-face services to the community, the Maya Centre has had to make significant changes to the way we operate amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
Following guidance from central government last year, we closed our central office to reduce social contact and transferred all of our one-to-one counselling services to the telephone or live video. As we embraced new technologies and ways of working, we needed resources to support the changing needs of our therapists and clients.
We were delighted, therefore, to receive emergency financial assistance from the Coronavirus Community Support Fund, which enables organisations who provide key services and support vulnerable people to continue their work during the pandemic. Allocated by the government and distributed by The National Lottery Community Fund, the grant helped the Maya Centre purchase IT equipment to support remote counselling.
“We’re delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund recognised our work in this way,” says Emma Brech, CEO of the Maya Centre. “The fund helped us to purchase laptops for our therapists working remotely under Covid-19. This was vital, as it enabled us to offer secure and confidential online therapy without compromising on client/therapist safety or confidentiality.
“The funding also meant we could streamline our online data collation and monitoring, making our service more efficient and ready for roll out more remote services in the future.”
Established in 1986, the Maya Centre is a unique women-only charity based in Islington, offering free specialist psychotherapy and holistic support to women on low incomes, whose mental health and wellbeing have been affected by experiences ranging from deprivation and isolation to racism, exploitation and Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG).
The new funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, which distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes and is the largest community funder in the UK, will enable the Maya Centre to continue to provide virtual therapeutic services to marginalised women during the most difficult of times.