Bravery and strength: COVID-19 one year on

It’s been difficult at times, but there is so much to be thankful for. One year on from the start of the first UK coronavirus lockdown, here’s a look at what it’s been like at Ella’s.

The first lockdown in March 2020 was a shock for Ella’s, as for the whole country. Relationships are key to what we do, so it was a worry that we would need to spend less time in-person with the women we work with.

‘It was intense at the beginning,’ says Layla, one of our safe house managers. ‘It was all new and different.’

We were extremely concerned about the mental and social health of the women we work with. All face significant mental health challenges as a result of past experiences, and the pandemic and resulting lockdown was unsettling and frightening. Many told us is felt like they were being locked away all over again.

‘I felt worried about how the women we work with would cope. They’ve been through such trauma in the past, already having experienced being locked away. It was also concerning to think how they would access counselling and other crucial appointments, and how we would support and advocate for them.’

Action

We quickly made plans. We put procedures in place for how often and in what ways our frontline staff could meet with the women we work with. We increased cleaning at our safe houses, and we brought in new products and equipment. We got to work to ensure our community could stay connected digitally as much as possible, and that everyone knew how to stay safe. And we reassured the women that we work with that it was all going to be ok.

‘In the end, there was so much going on, that there wasn’t much time to worry!’ says Layla. ‘We all had to come together and adapt to the pandemic.’

Precious moments

We made plans with each woman to agree how and in what ways we would continue to support them through the pandemic. In some cases, this meant that we spoke to them on the phone and online only for some periods.

Marta oversees our work with women in neighbourhoods around London. She remembers meeting Yeta, a survivor of trafficking we work with, between lockdowns.

‘I’d been on the phone to the women I work with every day, but Yeta was the first I’d met with since lockdown started. It was emotional, we both cried,’ says Marta.

‘Yeta was struggling with her mental health and felt too afraid to go outside, so my goal was to encourage her to go into the garden. Yeta loves flowers so we chose a rose bush to walk to, and we made it. It was beautiful – we smelt the flowers and ate some strawberries from the garden, and talked.

We set a goal for our next visit, to step out of the front door, and maybe even go to the nearby park.’

It’s been difficult to be more distanced than usual, and we’re looking forward to being able to meet in person more freely. But we’re thankful that the connections between our team and the women we work with have remained strong, throughout this time.

Teamwork

From the start, we were fortunate to have some amazing support to help us through the year. As well as our brilliant supporters who continued to donate and send messages of encouragement, we also benefited from the help of 21 volunteers.

Our volunteers played a crucial part in leading regular online community sessions for the women we work with, covering baking, yoga, HIIT workouts, craft, dance and more. These were key for the mental and social wellbeing of the women we work with, especially at the start of the pandemic. The online sessions provided a distraction, a positive activity, and a way to stay connected to one another. So many women told us that the sessions helped combat feelings of anxiety and fear.

Our church, group and corporate partners were incredibly supportive too. At Christmas, our friends at Balham Baptist Church put together and wrapped beautiful gift boxes for the women we work with. Some said it was the best Christmas they’ve ever had, despite everything.

Crucial extra support

We also received some grants to ensure we could continue our urgent work with survivors and adapt to the pandemic context.

It’s been a challenging time for charities like Ella’s, with planned fundraising activities being cancelled due to COVID-19, and some costs increasing. The Barrow Cadbury Trust with the National Lottery Community Fund, as well as the Smallwood Trust with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, provided us with much-needed funding to secure our work during this time. We are extremely grateful.

We also received a grant from the London Community Foundation (LCF) with the Ministry of Justice and MOPAC, specifically to help us adapt and support our community throughout the pandemic. This funding covered the costs of the following, and more:

• Bicycles to enable the women we work with to benefit from exercise and fresh air, and avoid public transport when they have no choice but to travel.

• Laptops and WiFi provision for survivors.

• Zoom subscriptions to enable staff to meet online and host our regular online activity sessions for the women.

• Face masks and extra cleaning materials for our safe houses.

• Postage costs for gifts and cards to encourage the women we work with.

• Wellbeing packages for our frontline staff, who did the most incredible job in such challenging times.

‘We are so grateful for all of this funding,’ says Minke van Til, Co-Director at Ella’s.

‘It gave us the confidence to move forward safely and quickly as the pandemic took hold of the country. And it has been absolutely crucial to ensure that we can weather the storm of covid, and continue to provide women with the support they need in order to recover and stay safe.’

Thanks to the support we’ve received, 37 women and 25 children have benefited from our work during this pandemic year. Our safe houses residents stayed free from coronavirus infection, and we’ve seen progress and hope among all those we work with despite ongoing challenges.

First photo: The son of one of the survivors we work with, home learning on a laptop we were able to provide. ‘Without it, I’m not sure what we would have done,’ says his mum, Adeola. Second photo: we ran more than 76 online sessions for survivors during the year, like this HIIT workout. Third photo: Christmas was a special time despite covid. This photo shows residents Emina and Negar decorating at one of our safe houses.

Proud moments

This has been a difficult year at Ella’s, as it has for everyone. But a couple of things that stand out as we reflect on our pandemic experience, are thankfulness and pride.

We’re proud of and thankful for our team, as well as our supporters, funders, partners and ally organisations. And we’re so proud of the women we work with, for getting through this time.

Despite being in recovery from life-threatening cancer, Haben has shown inspiring courage during the pandemic.

Safe house manager, Layla, talks about Haben as just one example of someone who has dealt with this year incredibly well. Haben is a survivor of trafficking and exploitation currently living in one of Ella’s’ safe houses.

‘It wasn’t long ago that Haben was battling cancer,’ says Layla. ‘It was amazing when she was given the all-clear pre-pandemic, but she was left frail as a result, and needed regular medical check ups.

‘I’d been going to every appointment with her, but this was no longer possible when lockdown started, so Haben had to go alone.

‘Her English is very limited and she was still regaining her strength, but she stepped up and did amazingly,’ Layla continues. ‘She’s become stronger physically and mentally, and more independent as a result – it’s so good to see.’

‘With a number of the women we work with, I’ve felt like a nervous mum during covid, reluctant to let go! But circumstances have meant that I’ve had to, and I’m so proud of the bravery and strength they’ve shown.’

Bravery and strength seems like a good place to end. We will all have seen and experienced those things this year; among our loved ones, our health and other key workers, in our communities and even in ourselves.

Thank you so much for standing with Ella’s this year, through it all.