Charity brings the campaign to you
Wellington Sexual Abuse HELP Foundation’s annual street appeal has lost its biggest yearly fundraiser amid coronavirus distancing rules, potentially leaving it $40,000 short.
The charitable trust is one of the city’s essential sexual violence support agencies, and had seen a spike in calls for help during level 3 but could not tell how much of a spike until the month’s numbers were in.
Chief executive Conor Twyford said the charity usually relied heavily on the street appeal to top up funds critical to providing its service but people would be reluctant to approach buckets, or carry cash.
This year, the street appeal’s third year, information and interactive material would be posted into mailboxes in the form of leaflets, quizzes, and puzzles in whichever neighbourhoods the volunteers targeted over six weeks.
‘‘Life has changed, and we’ve had to adapt. This year’s appeal is about connecting with people and our communities in a different way,’’ Twyford said.
‘‘We’re bringing the appeal home instead of to the city and hope to spark conversations about sexual violence in different contexts.’’
According to the charity, one in three girls and one in six boys in New Zealand will encounter an unwanted sexual experience before the age of 16.
Forty-seven per cent of trans people will report unwanted sexual advances from the age of 13, and half of all disabled people will experience sexual harm of some kind.
Lockdown affected the number of people reaching out for counselling, Twyford said.
‘‘There was a dip at the beginning of level 4 as some survivors may have lacked the chance to reach out safely and in privacy,’’ she said.
‘‘Calls have picked up as lockdown protocols eased, and we’ve seen a spike in demand for our services since we hit level 3.’’
The charity relied on funding from the government, and this was topped up by donations.
If it came up short this year, it would put pressure on staff to work harder for less, and limit the ability to grow.
‘‘We’ll never turn anyone away, it just puts the pressure on our existing staff.’’
‘‘Lockdown has shown us that, unfortunately, we’re still needed at our full capacity.’’
The appeal runs until June 30, with had only a few volunteers so far. Anyone who could drop leaflets into mailboxes should go to wellingtonhelp.org.nz.