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International Women’s Day: Celebrating Female-Led Community Organisations
4Wings Northwest CIC: Empowering Women, Transforming Lives
This International Women’s Day, we celebrate 4Wings Northwest CIC, a Liverpool-based grassroots organisation dedicated to breaking down barriers faced by asylum-seeking and refugee women. Led entirely by women with lived migrant experiences, 4Wings provides crucial support for some of the most vulnerable members of society—many of whom are survivors of trafficking, trauma, and abuse. Through tailored programmes and holistic after-care services, they help women rebuild their confidence, integrate into the local community, and regain their independence.
A Safe Space for Women
4Wings operates with a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by migrant women. With over 10 years of experience, the organisation has fostered a safe and nurturing environment where women feel comfortable sharing their experiences without fear of judgment. Their service offering is based on feedback from service users and their women-only approach ensures cultural sensitivities are respected, as well as providing participants with an opportunity to access support that aligns with their needs. Many beneficiaries have described 4Wings as their family in the UK, driving home the organisation’s critical role in combating isolation and fostering belonging.
The demand for 4Wings’ services has risen dramatically. In 2023, there was a 30% increase in women seeking support, particularly due to pressures from the cost-of-living crisis. Many of these women have faced significant hardships, including prolonged waiting times in the asylum system, financial instability, and lack of access to mental health resources. The urgent need for tailored and culturally competent support has never been greater.
Projects Funded by the Community Foundation for Merseyside
Thanks to funding from the Merseyside Women’s Fund and LCR Cares Digital Inclusion Fund, 4Wings has delivered transformative programmes aimed at improving financial literacy, employment prospects, and awareness of domestic abuse. In 2024, the organisation received £6,780 to facilitate 12 workshops, addressing critical topics identified by service users and £5,117 to certify digital literacy tutors
1. Financial Literacy
Many of 4Wings’ members are single mothers navigating financial hardship, often without the skills needed to manage their money effectively workshops equip women with essential skills including budgeting and banking basics, money-saving strategies and online safety and fraud prevention
2. Employment Support
For many migrant women, entering the UK workforce presents multiple challenges, including gaps in employment, lack of UK experience, language barriers, and cultural differences. 4Wings offers tailored workshops to help women prepare for employment by covering CV writing and reviews, competency-based interviews using the STAR Method, understanding UK workplace culture and etiquette and recognising and developing transferable skills
3. Domestic Abuse Awareness and Support
A growing number of 4Wings members have experienced domestic abuse, yet many are unaware of their rights or fear seeking help. To address this, the organisation delivers educational workshops covering recognising different forms of abuse and coercive control, understanding UK laws on domestic violence, forced marriage, and FGM, accessing free legal advice and support services, and steps to safely leave an abusive relationship. These sessions, run in partnership with Merseyside Community Police, provide women with the knowledge and confidence to seek help when needed.
4. Addressing the Digital Divide
In response to increasing demand for digital skills, 4Wings trained digital literacy tutors. To deliver a seven-week course covering basic computer and smartphone skills, internet safety and recognising online scams, digital footprint awareness and media literacy and using online platforms for job applications and banking. This initiative ensures that women, many of whom previously lacked access to technology, can confidently navigate the digital world while staying safe online.
Impact and Future Vision
Since 2017, 4Wings has received seven grants totalling over £40,000 to support women across Merseyside. Their work has had a profound impact, with beneficiaries reporting, increased self-confidence and independence, improved mental health and well-being, greater employability and digital literacy skills and a stronger sense of belonging and community integration.
Moving forward, 4Wings aims to secure multi-year funding to establish its digital literacy programme as a core service, further equipping women with the skills needed to thrive in modern society.
“At 4Wings, we believe that every woman deserves a chance to rebuild her life with dignity and confidence. Thanks to the Community Foundation for Merseyside, we are empowering women to take control of their futures, break cycles of disadvantage, and thrive.”
As we celebrate International Women’s Day, we honour the resilience of the women at 4Wings and the impact of female-led community organisations in driving meaningful change.
4Wings
4Wings is a charitable organisation that offers a supportive and safe environment to socially excluded and marginalised groups who have experienced trauma, abuse and displacement. The organisation has a good track record of making a difference to socially isolated women from diverse backgrounds who are survivors of abuse and trauma.
Merseyside Women’s Fund
In 2018 the Merseyside Women’s Fund was established by the Community Foundation for Merseyside after our national membership body, UK Community Foundations (UKCF), secured a record £3.4m award from the DCMS Tampon Scheme. We received £70,000 from the allocation to enable us to launch the new Fund, which allowed us to respond to those issues effecting girls and women in Merseyside. The Merseyside Women’s Fund aims to raise £1m to ensure we continue to support local women. The vision of the Merseyside Women’s Fund is to break down the barriers that affect girls and women in the region.