HERA UK

HERA UK is a charity with a mission to empower women survivors of modern slavery and exploitation to achieve a better life, working with academic and business mentors, to gain financial independence.

The funding from Shelter Stiftung has helped HERA adapt amidst the coronavirus pandemic and multiple UK lockdowns. This funding has enabled over 90 support packages to be sent to women survivors. These support packages have provided mobile data top ups to enable women to attend HERA’s online learning workshops and to connect with their HERA mentors. Each month the packages have contained a different gift to support survivors' business education and personal development, along with essential items including hand sanitiser, masks and sanitary towels.

“I am always glad to come home to a package waiting for me, it makes me know that I am cared for and valued”

To ensure that women survivors did not lose out on their training, Shetler Stiftung helped fund the new online learning platform. This platform has enabled HERA’s monthly workshops to continue and will provide self-study content to women survivors across the UK. HERA has been able to provide monthly business workshops to over 30 survivors. Workshop topics include personal finance, budgeting, how to start a social enterprise and understanding body language in the workplace.

“The workshops enable me to grow in my knowledge of running a business. Once I have the right to work I know that I will have the skills to achieve my dream of running a bakery”

An exciting development is that the online learning platform is making our flagship summer business training course possible amidst the uncertain environment coronavirus has caused. This will mean another 30 more women survivors will gain the skills, knowledge and confidence to set up a business or advance their career.