These 26 London-area groups are splitting $2M in United Way funding

For five years, the Somali Association of London has been trying to bridge the gap between immigrant children and schools.

The organization serves mostly low-income families with kids who could use a leg up in their learning, said its vice-president, Abdi Ibrahim.

“The kids often times need outside help. Most of the families we work with cannot afford this,” said Ibrahim, a Somali refugee who moved to London from Kenya.

Ibrahim helps run the association’s tutoring program for kids and high school students, connecting them with post-secondary students and graduates to support them with subjects such as math and reading.

Run entirely by volunteers, the program was up and running for almost two years before the pandemic interfered.

“We were dead for all that time. That help was not there,” Ibrahim said. “It was, ‘You’re on your own.’”

But not for much longer.

Thursday, United Way Elgin Middlesex announced the Somali Association is one of 26 community groups in the London area to share almost $2 million in federal funding for projects to tackle needs that have emerged from the pandemic.

The association received more than $87,000 to launch an online tutoring program and provide mental health counselling.

“This funding fills a huge gap. It means everything,” Ibrahim said.

“With the few volunteers that we have, we can reach a lot more kids. It will provide us with that platform and that capability to serve more kids,” he said, adding the demand is only growing.

The funding will be used to build an online tutoring platform, while equipment, including laptops and headsets, will be sourced through donations, Ibrahim said.

United Way Elgin Middlesex was tapped to distribute the $1.9 million grants to organizations in London, Elgin and Middlesex counties and area First Nations, said Kelly Ziegner, its president and chief executive.

The dollars are part of the federal government’s community services recovery fund, a $400 million program to support organizations with pandemic recovery.

“During the pandemic, the non-profit sector was really instrumental in providing essential services to individuals and families in the region. But like any organization, non-profits really felt the strains and challenges,” Ziegner said.

“It was important for the organizations to want to keep up with demand and adapt their services going forward.”

The grants, ranging from $15,000 to nearly $160,000, are going toward innovative and critical projects, including a leadership program for youth with disabilities, a meal service and mental health resources.

Working through the application process “was no small task,” Ziegner said. “We received close to $3 million in grant applications for the $1.9 available.”

Ibrahim said the Somali Association of London hopes to have the online tutoring program launched in early September, just as the school year kicks off.

Reception from families has been “huge,” he said. “People are so excited for it.”

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