After domestic violence and abuse, now I have a voice. I can’t tell you the difference this has made to me

“The confidence and skills I have developed since joining SEEdS has enabled me to return to work after a period of uncertainty and lack of self-belief.”

Welsh Women’s Aid is the national charity in Wales working to prevent and end domestic abuse and all forms of violence against women. They were awarded £30,000 for the continuation and expansion of their Survivors Empowering and Education Services (SEEdS) project in Cardiff and the Vale.

SEEds is a survivor participation project that brings together women from across South Wales and provides training, support and resources as well as a safe space where survivors can learn from and encourage one another.

Welsh Women’s Aid received funding to continue the expansion of its SEEds project to provide female sufferers of violence and abuse in Cardiff and the Vale with accredited training and skills opportunities to enable them to deliver a Survivor Participation Project.

SEEds participants are supported and encouraged to speak out about their own and other survivor’s experiences of violence and abuse. SEEds works to raise awareness about the reality of domestic abuse, sexual violence and all other forms of violence against women through interviews, awareness campaigns that share experiences of abuse, speaking at regional and national conferences and attending networking events.

The funding they have received has enabled them to offer training opportunities to more women to help build the confidence and skills of survivors so that they feel equipped and empowered to make positive change to violence against women policy, practice and services.

As a result of participating in the project and accessing training many women have gone on to gain employment or had a promotion. One woman said:

“I wanted you to know that personally SEEdS has helped me in my job. They feedback to me that I have grown in the last two years… suddenly I have a voice here too. To the extent that they are considering further training for me to specialise and make my hours permanent. I feel SEEdS has helped my confidence and my self-worth and my work now sees me as someone moving forward and worth investing in. I can’t tell you the difference this has made to me”

The training made possible by this funding is helping survivors to grow and develop and is having a positive and tangible effect on their everyday lives.