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Paying it forward<br />
The Magpie Project:<br />
local mums and grand-mums<br />
helping mothers of the 2,000<br />
homeless under fives in Newham<br />
Newham has brilliant resources for under fives, such as children’s centres, playgroups, NCT and<br />
libraries, so why are so few of the 2,000 under-fives living in temporary housing or at threat of<br />
homelessness attending them? This is the question the Magpie Project’s founder Jane Williams asked<br />
back in February 2017. So she spoke to some of those mums.<br />
She discovered that nine out of ten of the people in temporary accommodation that she interviewed<br />
said that they experienced worsening mental health because of their housing situation, which is hardly<br />
surprising, and also heart-wrenching.<br />
Farhana, who lives in temporary accommodation, told her: “Many mums are just staying in their<br />
rooms, they don’t know where to go, they don’t know anybody, they have got very low”.<br />
It became clear that there were many practical, emotional, financial, and social barriers to mums,<br />
in spite of the activities Newham has to offer. How can you expect to get to a course at a children’s<br />
centre if you are spending all day trying to keep your children’s clothes clean, find food to make,<br />
eat well without access to cooking facilities and travel around the borough from appointment to<br />
appointment attempting to address your situation? Clearly, these families needed something extra.<br />
Build it and they will come<br />
So, after 3 months of planning, recruiting and training volunteers, as well as negotiating a free<br />
space at the Kay Rowe Nursery and Children’s Centre in Forest Gate, the Magpie Project was born.<br />
14 LOVEEAST
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