The Ocean Somali Community Association offers a series of creative learning programmes to help the Somali community integrate and engage with the wider community and local services. The charity runs basic literacy and numeracy classes for adults alongside a crèche service and youth activities to keep the children occupied. There are special activities for older people and women only sessions. Young people can attend after school classes and holiday play schemes. Families can attend parenting courses and receive support during the transition from primary to secondary school.
OSCA also works in partnership with a number of other organisations to provide advice and advocacy, help with job searches and careers advice and a range of healthy living activities. The charity also offers more hard hitting programmes looking at preventing young people from getting into crime, substance misuse projects and mental health preventative family intervention work. Our grant has supported core running costs to help this fast growing charity to increase the level of services it can offer.
Faisal Ali, the treasurer at Ocean Somali Community Association says “The Board of Trustees is grateful to the Lloyds TSB Foundation for supporting OSCA to meet Somali community needs. The grant will help OSCA to continually provide quality services for our clients and meet funders requirements, and it will also assist the organisation to secure other fundings and improve sustainability.”
