Community projects keep going

The Yemeni Community Association (YCA) was funded to provide capacity building and quality assurance training for Burngreave organisations and the YCA itself. Chair of the YCA, Abdul Shaif, said: “It’s disappointing that this funding is ending, as these posts were critical to our work and mean a reduction in capacity building and quality assurance work.”

Pitsmoor Credit Union has a small amount of funding for a worker supporting new collection points and are fundraising to keep that going. Extra input from volunteers is filling the gap. They are disappointed in New Deal’s lack of support and told the Messenger: “New Deal were developing a strategy to help people in debt, but they seem to have abandoned it, and to have lost the plot when it comes to poverty.” Contact 273 8555.

Community Language Schools, 261 0461 Tue/Wed, are continuing on a reduced income and staffing level. The Urdu school has received a £3,000 grant from the Council and the Local Network Fund has provided £12,000 for the Urdu, Arabic and Somali schools. However, the schools are operating with significantly fewer tutors. Jane O’Brien, Organisational Development hopes the Yemeni Economic Training Centre can support further volunteer tutor training and said: “Although the Association of Sheffield Community Language Schools won’t be able to work as closely with mainstream schools in the future, I hope the language schools will continue to grow and flourish, with the good work of the last three years continuing.”