SEAD funds a wide range of projects, from social-justice campaigns to grassroots economic activity.
We will periodically update this page with campaign reports.
Girls Rock School Edinburgh
Edinburgh, UK
Rock music is still a male dominated industry. Girls Rock School Edinburgh (GRSE) aims to turn that around, by providing one hour weekly classes in vocals, guitar, drum and bass to self-identifying women (trans* and non-binary inclusive) aged eighteen and over.
One off songwriting, sound engineering and DJing workshops are sometimes available too. All their workshops are free to attend and are held in a wheelchair accessible space. Each class ends with a jam session with students from different classes rocking out together. At the end of term, GRSE musicians have the opportunity to play a showcase gig and realise their dreams of rock stardom on a local scale.
"A massive thank you to SEAD fund for giving us a grant towards the running of our next term! Can't wait to do more of this!!!"
Getting Better Together: Community garden
Shotts, Lanarkshire, Scotland
The Community Growing Project has revitalized two local sites with the help of volunteers and our community gardener. This year's work included cleaning, weeding, and preparing land for cultivation. In early 2025, we plan to expand the growing area with new raised beds and composting.
We ran various workshops, including a kids' gardening club where children successfully grew salad leaves, beetroots, and carrots, thanks to a favourable summer. Autumn focused on maintenance, building a wheelchair-accessible path, and a new greenhouse. Highlights included wildflower seed bomb workshops and spring bulb planting sessions, fostering awareness of biodiversity and sustainability.
Our neighbourhood network group played an active role, promoting community spirit, healthier eating, and inter-generational learning. Looking ahead, we'll continue with "Grow Your Own" workshops and expand gardening clubs to engage more people in growing fresh, local food.
This project has brought many benefits to the community. It has sparked a growing interest in food cultivation and environmental workshops, fostering a sense of achievement, ownership, and community spirit among participants. By engaging people of all ages and abilities, the project continues to enhance community connections, support wellbeing, and contribute to local ecological conservation.
Haus of Seisay Hairdressing Academy Programme
Glasgow, Scotland
The Haus of Seisay Hairdressing Academy Programme is a transformative initiative designed to empower care-experienced young people through skills development, personal growth, and career opportunities. Over an eight-week course, participants benefit from a tailored learning approach, fostering confidence, hope, and a sense of belonging in a supportive environment. The programme enhances visibility and partnerships within the community, offering graduates diverse pathways in education and careers. With a focus on holistic support, the academy promotes mental health, resilience, and self-esteem, laying the foundation for sustained personal and professional growth.
Reusable sanitary pads
Uganda
Uplifting Rural Communities (URUCO) is a community based organization located in Nampunge village, Kakiri Sub County, Wakiso district, Uganda. URUCO received a grant of £250 from Sead fund to implement a project on educating young adolescent girls how to make reusable sanitary pads and menstrual hygiene at Mwanga Secondary School.
"My name is Odoi Anne, I am in form two and am 14 years old. I have been using dry animal skin specifically goat skin as a sanitary pad though it has been very uncomfortable and unhygienic for me. My parents couldn't afford buying pads for me but because of Sead fund's love for the unprivileged people like me, I am now able to make my own re-usable sanitary pads that can last me a full year. Thank you Sead fund for working with Uplifting Rural Communities to improve people's lives." -- Odoi Anne, student
"On behalf of Uplifting Rural Communities, I would like to extend our sincere appreciation to the entire Sead fund family for giving us an opportunity to improve the lives of neglected people in Nampunge village. Thank you for giving us this opportunity to implement this project because it has greatly improved the young female adolescent girls' lives." -- Nanyonjo Yvonne, Chairperson
Rise up! Protest against homophobia and mistreatment towards LGBT+ youths
Uganda, Africa
In March 2023, Ugandan MPs passed the KILL THE GAY bill, imposing the death penalty for homosexuality. As state and local governments move to enforce homophobic laws, we have heard from people who have faced arrests, evictions, attacks, and sexual violence. Access to health services has been cut off, and many have been left unemployed due to hate campaigns and mob attacks.
With the grant Received from SEAD-Fund, we are grateful that we managed to make out project a success. We Managed to run Protesting on the streets Of Mbarara City, Chanting pride songs alongside our grievances. We are humans just like any other human expressing their desired sexual identity.
Our protest advocated for equality, safe homes and families, and health care, and against human rights violations and attacks on the LGBTQ Community.
The Mbarara RISE Foundation provides assistance and information about safety, security, and equal human rights for the LGBTIQ+ community in Uganda. We continue the fight against laws that criminalize homosexuality.
Rise up! Protest against homophobia and mistreatment towards LGBT+ youths website
Books to School
Tanzania
SEAD-Fund, in collaboration with Fahari Safari, is proud to announce the launch of the "Books to School" program. This initiative invites safari guests to bring along second-hand children's books to donate, helping to create and grow school libraries in Tanzania, where many children have little or no access to books. These books are invaluable, providing a way to learn English with a dose of joy, and fostering a lifelong love for reading.
If you visit Arusha in Tanzania, then participating in the Books to School program is simple: Just pack a few English-language children's books in your luggage. Our team can deliver the books to local schools in need.
Think of your favourite childhood book. Now imagine the joy of sharing that book with a child who has never had the chance to read it -- a child who might never have read any children's books, only textbooks. This is the magic of the Books to School program.
The first Books to School mini library was opened this month at Arusha Victory School, a primary school in Tanzania.
ADHD Adventures - report requested...
School sponsorship
Tanzania, Africa
Female education is a key driver of poverty reduction, with knock-on benefits for the community and the environment. Moreover it is a life-changing opportunity for the people involved. SEAD sponsored a working class family in Arusha, Tanzania to send their daughter to school.
Children's Gardening at Community House, Alloa
Alloa, Scotland
We transformed our front garden from a plain space to something much more inviting. The children loved being involved in choosing the planters, flowers, and decorative items to brighten up the area.
The first part of the project involved weeding the space, clearing away rubbish, and preparing small planters with flowers. The children enjoyed getting their hands dirty and chose where to place the planters, adding decorative items to make the garden their own.
Upcycling old pallets added more color to our space and allowed for more flowers to be planted. The completion of the front garden project has brought smiles, laughs, and joy to the children using our services. They made decisions, designed, got involved, and worked in teams to transform the space. The children love this space now, and with the seating area, it is used much more. They will continue to be involved in maintaining the space and are immensely proud of their work, as are we!
Thank you from everyone at Community House for your generosity.
Community Garden
The Community Garden Project, supported by grant funding last year, aimed to create an accessible, nature-rich space for young people and the wider community. Despite facing severe weather challenges, significant progress was made in preparing the site for planting and future engagement.
Storms caused substantial damage to parts of the site, impacting the original plans. However, resilience and adaptability ensured that the groundwork continued. Raised beds were constructed and are now ready for sowing in March, providing a solid foundation for community gardening activities. Additionally, accessible pathways were installed, a wildlife pond was created to enhance biodiversity, and a sensory garden area was developed to promote well-being.
This project remains a key part of our commitment to inclusion, sustainability, and youth engagement. As we move forward, we will continue to rebuild and cultivate this space, ensuring it remains a valuable resource for the community.
Campaigning for Palestine
Scotland
After group discussions about the situation in Palestine, IWG applied for a grant to campaign. The conflict has environmental impacts from bombings, affects women whose human rights are being abused, and leaves children with little hope for the future. As a group including refugees, asylum seekers, and other members, IWG members felt the pain of the situation. The aim of our campaign was to empower women to respond.
We wrote to local MSP Paul Sweeney and the Scottish government, both of whom support a two-state solution, and received detailed responses on continuing aid to the area from Scotland. We also hosted Jean Byrne from the Friends of Palestine group in Glasgow, who recently returned from the area and spoke about the illegal settlements by the Israeli government. Additionally, we discussed the issue with the local mosque.
The grant covered hall hire, refreshments, travel expenses, stationery costs, and helped host the campaign. We feel more empowered in the legal and political process, as well as in responding to conflict against our community. We are very grateful for the support from SEAD.
2024 Kanyakwar 2024-10 Kanyakwar
Sanitary Pads for Schools
Kenya, Africa
Kanyakwar Community Based Organization was founded in 2012 in Kisumu West Sub- County to lift the community out of poverty by providing access to education for orphans and vulnerable children, micro loans and entrepreneurship training for small businesses as well as HIV/AIDs awareness for the Kisumu East Sub-County in Kisumu County, Kenya.
Kanyakwar C.B.O recognizes that education is a potent tool to lift community members out of poverty. One of the barriers to education for girls from poor households is school absenteeism during their menstrual periods and lack of learning equipment such as exercise books. Period poverty, or the inability to afford and access menstrual products, sanitation and hygiene facilities costs school going girls a lot.
According to a 2024 Kenya government report, lack of access to safe, sustainable sanitary products and education on menstrual health causes over one million girls in Kenya to miss three to four days of school every month. Thus, period poverty remains a major challenge to the education of girls in low income settlements in urban and rural areas in Kenya.
This SEAD Fund grant will purchase sanitary products and books for 300 school girls in low income households in Kanyakwar location, Kisumu West Sub- County, Kisumu County. The grant will also provide for education and awareness of menstrual health targeting adolescent girls especially within the school setting.
The following are the expected outcomes:
- Increase in school attendance
- Reduction in sexually transmitted infection
- improved health due to reduction in bacterial vaginosis
Forest Activity Day for Children (and their adults)
Scotland
The children learned about the interconnectedness of the forest ecosystem, understanding the roles of different species and their importance. The day fostered a deep appreciation for the beauty, fragility, and importance of the forest, promoting responsible environmental practices.
- Learning about Forest Animals And Wood
- Exploring Bugs and Insects
- Storytime in the Woods
- Outdoor Scavenger Hunt
- Arts and Crafts with Natural Materials
- Guided Nature Walk
- Campfire Sing-along and S'mores
The children were joined by their families, who also wanted to learn alongside them. In total, 25 people benefited from Melissa's forest sessions.
Solar lights to help families in rural African
Uganda, Africa
The Solar Light to Rural Children project, funded by SEAD Fund UK, successfully provided portable solar-powered lighting systems to 125 households in three rural villages (Kazinga, Bandwe, and Kikajjo) in Wakiso District, Uganda. The project directly benefited approximately 400 children, enabling them to study after dark and improving their educational outcomes. Additionally, the project included training sessions for families on the use and maintenance of the solar kits and capacity-building for local technicians to ensure sustainability.
During the implementation of the project, the team identified an additional challenge: the lack of access to menstrual health products for girls in the community. This report highlights the project's achievements, lessons learned, and the need for a follow-up intervention to address menstrual health through the provision of reusable sanitary pads.
Stop Climate Chaos Scotland
Scotland
SEAD is a member of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, a coalition of organisations working to raise awareness of the climate emergency and to campaign for urgent action.
SCCS has been instrumental in advocating for the "Rethinking Scotland's Road Map" initiative, which aims to make cleaner, greener travel easier for everyone. This initiative includes measures to improve public transportation, encourage cycling and walking, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
Additionally, SCCS has been a vocal advocate for stronger climate policies. Their open letter to the First Minister calls for the end of emission reduction targets and urges the government to take more decisive action in combating climate change.
By supporting SCCS, SEAD is contributing to a broader movement that seeks to protect the environment and promote sustainable living in Scotland and beyond.
Dyslexia Support
Scotland
This project supported children with dyslexia. The original plan was to purchase a special smart reading pen. This was changed when the local school offered a pen of this type, sadly with poor results. Technology doesn't always deliver for everyone.
So The Haven adjusted plans, and used the money to provide a set of reduced price lessons.
Castle Douglas School Library
Castle Douglas, Scotland
Stigma towards mental health and LGBT issues can particularly hurt teenagers. It can be difficult for teachers to address. A student survey at Castle Douglas High School revealed less than 50% of the pupils would feel comfortable talking to a member of staff regarding mental health troubles or expressing their sexuality or gender identity. So with the SEAD-Fund's support, Castle Douglas High School added LGBT and mental health books to their library, to provide a discreet way for pupils to access information about sexuality.
"Our LGBT friendly literature now available has helped pupils in our school have various options to learn to be comfortable with themselves. The literature is well used by our youngsters."
Friends of the Den
Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/friendsoftheden/
The Den playpark in Aberdeenshire is already a much loved fixture in the lives of local families, but the newly formed community organisation Friends of the Den think it could be even better. They have started surveying Den users to gauge interest in play equipment geared to different ability levels and sensory needs, as well as encouraging parents to share their old favourites and what retired equipment they would like to see return.
Happy Baby Community
UK
Hundreds of pregnant women seek asylum in the UK every year, making a new life in the UK with a baby in tow. Adjusting to motherhood while cut off from their support network, dealing with after effects of violence and abuse, as well as coping with discrimination and poverty, leaves many women in a desperate situation.
The Helen Bamber Foundation set up the Happy Baby Community to give asylum seeker mothers and babies a safe place to play and access support. Another important function is empowering members to give back to the community: not only helping the group as a whole but giving confidence back to women who have lost everything. SEAD funding helped one such member, a woman from Eritrea with a two year old daughter, run a swimming group. She used the grant to cover travel and pool entry costs for up to fifteen families every week, as well as providing swimming costumes and swimming nappies. These meetups were extremely popular over this year's unusually hot summer. The group is hoping to add mum-and-baby swimming classes to their available activities over the following year
J8
J8 empowers young people to help each other on a global scale. This school-linking scheme started as a pupil-driven project at Hutcheson's Grammar School in Glasgow, when students entered a UNICEF competition to solve the world's biggest problems. The group realised that lack of education is behind many social issues both in the UK and further afield, and began reaching out to schools in Africa and Asia. J8 ask pupils in their partner schools to use their local knowledge to research how education is delivered in their area, and how it can be improved. Together, they work out an action plan, and work on fundraising, including developing products for sale.
J8 now partner with seven communities around the world, working with their international peers to find specialised solutions for local issues.
Living Rent Glasgow
"This is not going to be a boring AGM, because we're not a boring union!" On 13th October, Living Rent Glasgow members convened to set out their collective vision for building tenant power in the year ahead. The union aims to be accessible for as many people as possible, stating in their AGM report that food and childcare are "an integral part of enabling access for more and more members, ensuring longevity as a movement. To this aim, Living Rent Glasgow invested their SEAD grant into food, promotion and materials. As Living Rent member Joey put it in his fiery closing speech:
When Living Rent comes knocking, you better answer the door! We see you locking the doors to your fancy offices! We're here for the long haul, we've got tea and sandwiches, we're not going anywhere!
Suzanne Finlayson
Haddington, Scotland, UK
It's worth noting that SEAD funding is open to individuals as well as organisations. Suzanne is an experienced midwife and mum of four working in Midlothian, as well as a practitioner of Kundalini yoga. She dreamed of delivering classes for expectant mothers, teaching "kundalini yoga techniques and meditations to improve health in all systems of the body and help relax and reduce stress to prepare for birth and motherhood." However, the specialised yoga teacher training she needed is expensive, required her to travel to Berlin for a week, and wasn't covered by her employer.
Suzanne didn't let this get in her way: as well as reaching out to SEAD, she put away savings and did her own fundraising, including a curry night. Suzanne shared this photo of her and classmates on their final day of training. Suzanne's yoga classes will include low cost options for low income mothers, and she's going to pay-it-forward with the SEAD-grant by providing some free classes.
Womens Aid Orkney
"Our project is to set up women's gardening group. This will be based in our refuge garden and in a NHS polytunnel where we have been offered a space to use for free.
We require a range of gardening tools, gloves, seeds, feed and compost.
We aim to bring together women affected by domestic abuse and offer an activity which is calming, educational, builds a sense of community, reduces social isolation, builds confidence and promotes a fork to plate approach to growing fruit and vegetables."
Report requested from womensaidorkney.org.uk