International aid charity Women and Children First is to close amid concerns around funding after 25 years supporting communities in Africa.
It is to start an “orderly wind-down” from early 2024 with the loss of six jobs, according to a statement by the charity’s chair Rachel Cullen.
“After reflecting on the fantastic work of the organisation over the last 25 years and the success of our partnerships in Africa, we are certain that it is the right decision at the right time,” she said.
“The current funding environment is incredibly challenging for everyone. Many organisations are reassessing whether they can or should continue.
“It is in this context that we now choose to exit gracefully.”
Since launching in 2000 it has reached more than 12m people across 16 different countries, supporting 5,000 community health groups and helping to save more than 6,500 lives.
“We are intensely proud of everything Women and Children First has achieved. When we first set up, at the turn of the millennium, we were pioneers of participatory programming and played a central role in research showing how women’s groups can halve the numbers of women dying in childbirth,” said Cullen.
The charity is working to “ensure all the evidence and resources we developed over the years will remain available for communities anywhere to access and use”, she added.
Women and Children First is liaising with its partner organisations to either complete existing projects or ensure they continue after the charity closes.
According to the charities register the charity’s income for the year ending December 2023 was £503,000, and it spent £481,523.
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