International Women’s Day

Since International Women’s Day last year, we’ve housed 179 women who are making an incredible social impact. Together, these women have contributed 15,134 hours of voluntary work to a range of charities in the UK, Poland and further afield. That’s 179 women giving almost a quarter of a million pounds of work to 182 different causes.

Throughout the course of the year, we got to speak to some of these women about the volunteering they do.

Jessica: Knitting hats for newborns

While working as a student midwife, Jessica came across Bliss, a charity that supports parents and babies in neonatal care. After becoming a Dot Dot Dot property guardian, she started volunteering with the organisation.

“Delivering a baby prematurely can often be extremely stressful and upsetting,” Jessica begins. “The hats I knit don’t take away that stress, but I hope they do add a little bit of love to a tough situation. They bring home comforts to a starkly medical setting.
I pick up knitting patterns from a local shop, and I get knitting. Once I have made a few hats, I pack them up and deliver the bundle to the hospital. I’ve only just started this journey. But I am hoping to start knitting socks, and then jumpers in the near future.”

Angelika: Building a network of support for the LGBTQIA+ community in Poland

Angelika was drawn to our volunteering-based approach, having helped set up the Tecza Po Burzy Foundation in Poland, which exists to support LGBTQIA+ people with their mental health.

Angelika tells us that “the political situation has worsened in Poland, and the government is actively making it worse so it’s really important to offer support there.

There is a real lack of knowledge when it comes to the physical and mental health of LGBTQIA+ people. It is shocking to find out that 83% of medical professionals don’t know much about what it means to be a trans person, for example. We are working on a long term project to help combat this. When you’re distressed and you have to spend hours and hours looking for help and support online, it is even worse when you don’t know if you can trust the person who is sitting in front of you.”

Isabella: Creating a ‘better future for the children of today’

Isabella has focused her voluntary efforts on supporting children from disadvantaged backgrounds in Ghana with Visibility Africa.

“Our motto is ‘creating a better future for the children of today’” explains Isabella. “We have found the most effective way to do this is by helping, supporting and encouraging these children as well as providing key educational resources to help them to grow, become future leaders, teachers and more generally citizens who can contribute to a better Africa.

So far, we have successfully completed two projects, raising a total of over £2,500 to assist with orphans’ medication, school fees and other home essentials. We have also partnered with Organi Cup to provide reusable sanitary equipment for the girls, free menstruation education, and follow up visits to encourage the use of the menstrual cups.”

Karin: The Open HR Forum – Students

Karin’s initiative, the Open HR Forum – Students, operates on an international scale to create opportunities for HR students to become leaders in their field.

“At the start of the pandemic in 2020, I began a course in human resources with the Open HR Forum, to support my continued learning and development around communications in my home country of Slovakia.

I soon noticed a marked gap in the potential to access career consulting and work experience in Slovakia compared with the UK – the only options were for vast sums of money that were unaffordable for most of the students that I knew, including myself.”

On International Women’s Day, we want to say a huge thank you to all of these women for their dedication to social change. We hope this inspires you to create a positive impact, however big or small.

Guardians who create impact

Dot Dot Dot guardians volunteer for 16 hours every month in different and creative ways.

Read Angelika's full story