Ikosi Charity Shop

Grand Opening

The Deputy Mayor of Tower Hamlets officially opened our new charity shop on the 7th August. It was a really wonderful day and very good to see that all our hard work has paid off. The shop itself is proving popular; it looks and is fantastic. We are very grateful for the help of all the workers and volunteers who made the effort to create such a lovely, vibrant space and for staffing and organizing the shop. Whilst well-stocked, donations are always welcome; the shop sells a range of second-hand clothes and books but also completely new jewellery, statuettes, African drums and hats, clothes and other arts and crafts products. We hope very much to maintain its early success in the coming year and keep up the fantastic momentum which has got it going so well!

The African Women's Welfare Association (AWWA) in an advice and information centre for people living with Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia conditions. It aims to raise awareness of Sickle-Cell and Thalassaemia in the community and amongst professionals. It also works to promote self-help amongst sufferers and their carers; we provide information, training, education and pastoral care. We provide and organize drop-in, home and hospital visiting as well as befriending services and social activities. We are also in a position to make referrals to other organizations and take part in fundraising activities as well as organizing meetings seminars and conferences for professionals, families, users, carers and community organizations. This year we opened a new shop, Ikosi, to help in our fundraising activities.

Funding Crisis

This year the African Women's Welfare Association will be continuing the appeal launched on 4th July (National sickle Cell Awareness Day) after being hit by a severe funding crisis. The Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Centre has worked with more than 100 individuals suffering from these incurable diseases. These are genetic blood conditions, often painful and causing organ damage.

Members of the Afro-Caribbean communities are the most likely people in Britain to have Sickle Cell Disorders. In the Tower Hamlets area, Bengali people are most likely to have the condition. It is vital to continue work with our clients in a culturally sensitive way.

Our service needs £80,000 to survive. The time has come to appeal for financial support to help us provide physical, material, emotional and financial support for our client group.

The Centre wants to remove stigma around the conditions and empower its clients.

Aims for the Coming Year

We plan to continue our work in the borough; this will involve a considerable amount of fundraising meaning the scope for new projects is somewhat limited. However we are determined to continue the work of this long-standing and invaluable charity. With the help of our new shop, Ikosi, we hope to raise awareness, both of Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia, and of the existence of our charity and work. We hope to continue to offer support to our users both practically and pastorally. We will continue to encourage research and forums for talk to improve education and awareness. We are looking forward to a challenging but hopefully very rewarding year.