Faith in Families launches crowdfund for Brighter Futures

Faith in Families has launched a crowdfund appeal so its Brighter Futures project can keep supporting vulnerable children.

The project supports children with their mental health challenges and has helped hundreds of families since its launch.

Now Children in Need funding is about to come to an end, which means the project could lose two of its play therapists.

Cherrie Bija, Faith in Families CEO, said: "This would really impact the reach we can have, at a time when children’s mental health is being impacted tremendously and the demand for this work increases.

"We support over 500 children each week to be brave and understand their emotions and pain. Children who have experienced often multiple adverse childhood experiences and are struggling with big emotions such as anger and anxiety, which is often displayed in unwanted behaviours, meaning that they find life in general difficult.

"They have few opportunities to develop social skills, are unable to control emotions and have limited positive relationships. They at time feel hopeless and this is increasing as the cost of living crisis plummets them into greater destitution."

The programme is free to children as Faith in Families wants to reach those facing the most traumatic circumstances.

Feedback shows that 98% of children state they feel more confident after going through the programme, 96% share that they can now talk about their worries, and 92% of children state they have learned ways to control their anger and emotions," Cherrie said.

"Our team are not only dedicated but motivated to improve the lives of children, young people and families within our communities. We want to see children thrive, families grow, and young people develop into happy adults. We know that we cannot always change the circumstances in which children are living but we can change how they can respond to what is happening in their lives."

You can donate to the crowdfund here.