Christmas is a time of excess and abundance. Usually, that means an exchange of lavish hampers and gifts between colleagues, agencies, and clients… but we do things a little differently at Empower. In place of consumable goods, we give our team control to select the recipients of £1,000 of charitable donations, going straight to the causes they care deeply about. In addition to the collective team donations, Empower makes a £200 donation on behalf of each of its employees to a personal charity of their choice as the year ends too, meaning we donate £3,000 in December! “This end of year donation is a tradition of many years at Empower and it’s such a positive way to round off the year as a team. Sharing the causes we all care about, and connecting to make a final piece of impact on behalf of the team and clients. It’s one of my favourite moments of the year.” Jaz Cummins, Empower’s Co-Founder In 2022, we donated to Crisis, Stop.Breathe.Think, Friends of the Earth, Second Shot Coffee, Breadwinners, and St. David’s Hospice. This year, we’ve donated to the following compelling charities: Waging Peace Waging Peace supports Sudanese asylum-seekers, refugees, and the wider diaspora to build meaningful lives in the UK. Trauma-Led Crisis Support is one of many vital services they provide, all the more in demand amid the armed conflict which broke out between the RSF and SAF in April. Sudan is experiencing a lesser-reported genocide right now, and it is through organisations like Waging Peace that new arrivals from Sudan who reach the UK at their most vulnerable will be granted the support and advice they desperately deserve. Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) provide treatment to people caught in complex crises and chronic healthcare emergencies across 70 countries worldwide. They intervene to save people’s lives in epidemics, natural disasters, and conflict zones. Among the perpetual crises in Ukraine, Sudan, Afghanistan, and more, MSF are also present in Gaza, providing medical and logistical support. Medical Aid for Palestinians Given the urgent and increasingly dire situation in Gaza, Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) needs no introduction. They are in desperate need of support to help procure and deliver more vital medical aid and shelter supplies as stocks of these essentials run low. Our donation will help their effort to ensure that Palestinian health workers have the life-saving resources they need. “We were honoured to drive fundraising with MAP in 2021 as part of their Ramadan campaign and have witnessed the impact of their work through that campaign. In these desperate circumstances, we’re pleased to contribute to their efforts in 2023 through a team donation.” Ben Matthews, Empower’s Co-Founder >> How Empower helped Medical Aid for Palestinians raise thousands during Ramadan Women for Refugee Women (Content Warning) Women for Refugee Women support women who have fled persecution including rape, gender-based violence, domestic violence, forced marriage, female-genital mutilation, sexual violence, torture and trafficking to rebuild their lives on their own terms. Amongst other crucial campaigning and support work, they support vulnerable women who are often being held long-term by our government in immigration detention centres. That’s not all! These causes are the recipients of the team’s personal donations this year: Speak up for the poor Fondo Semillas DAIR Institute Street Child Give…A Few Words Frank Charles Give A Gift The Black Curriculum The Trussell Trust Crisis We care profoundly about purpose-led organisations and since 2014 we have been enabling charities and non-profits to harness digital tools to create and communicate positive change. ‘Tis the time for giving, and we’re proud to once again be able to put some of our hard-earned funds back into the hands of the causes our team cares about most.
