Greatway Foundation – Offering trauma support for Edinburgh families
Dr. Festus Ogunmola, CEO, Greatway Foundation
Since 2021, Corra’s Henry Duncan Grants has included ring-fenced funding committed to Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic-led organisations. This blog is part of a series sharing community stories from Henry Duncan Grants ring-fenced funded projects from 2021, when the funding theme was community-based mental health and wellbeing support.
Dr Festus Ogunmola from Greatway Foundation kindly took time to write this blog for us.
Greatway Foundation – offering mental health support to Edinburgh’s African communities
Greatway Foundation, based in Edinburgh, provides trauma and mental health support for Black African and Ethnic Minority families in the local community. We have been able to support several families with priority needs at their most desperate times.
We have identified some of the factors that we see resulting in mental health difficulties for those in our community. These include childhood abuse, parenting concerns, trauma, neglect, social isolation and loneliness, as well as experiencing discrimination and stigma, including racism.
Our delivery framework takes an approach in which people with mental health concerns become active participants in making positive changes, rather than passive recipients of inconsistent and episodic care. During our workshops we help services users unravel and better understand unaddressed mental health issues and related issues such as homelessness, poverty and unemployment. Some can now share their experience with others and become a source of inspiration.
We have provided training, counselling and workshops in the following areas:
- Helping parents nurture their children
- Protecting parents and children from trauma
- Educating families and young people to understand and manage their emotions
- Supporting people with work stress and reducing loneliness for older people
Collaboration
Working with Scottish Refugee Council, Volunteer Edinburgh, CEMVO, Next Step Edinburgh, and Scottish Council of African Churches has enabled us to reach people and deliver services through referrals. It is always good to identify gaps in our service provision and organisations that could fill in the gaps, working alongside partner organisations that our communities and clients can connect with.
Challenges and Calls to Action
Increased demand for our service, consultations and workshops, by more than we anticipated. Our experience shows the people we are supporting continuously require more social support, including developing and maintaining personal, family, and social relationships. They also need support for educational programmes, employment, housing and participation in social activities. We want to continue to involve the people in our community to identify their own health problems and taking appropriate action in solving them.
Geographical limitations. We have not been able to meet the needs of some families especially those living further away from our area of coverage. Some of the families we have supported have spread the news to extended friends and families in different neighbourhoods, and they are calling for our help. However, we do refer them to organisations local to them.
Funding to expand our services. Gaining insight through our work to date, we would be seeking funding for future projects to explore and provide in the areas of: individual psychological support, group therapy, yoga and relaxation, outdoor activities, clubs, social activities and art therapy.
Find out more about Greatway Foundation:
More from Henry Duncan Grants ring-fenced funded projects:
Scottish Ethnic Minority Deaf Charity – Healthy Deaf Minds Project