Almost £3M to support systemic change in Armed Forces communities
The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (the Trust) has awarded almost £3 million to nine transformative projects in this year’s round of the Covenant Fund Transformational Grants programme.
Continuing the trend from last year’s awards, the Trust has selected projects which aim to deliver systemic change within the Armed Forces community in a variety of different ways.
Each of the funded projects has a different focus, from supporting older Veterans, to tackling stigma amongst female Veterans. Mental health and wellbeing outcomes are an important element of many of the projects, though the ways of taking on these challenges vary from sports to e-learning, and training to inclusive programmes of activity and new and improved ways of delivering services.
Empowering Veterans
Partnering with the CASEVAC Club of wounded Veterans, the Scar Free Foundation have been awarded £300,000 to understand and alleviate the impact of conflict-related genital scarring and loss-of-function. They will develop evidence-based interventions to diminish the shame, stigma and embarrassment surrounding these injuries and empower current and future Veterans to forge fulfilling intimate relationships post-injury.
Lieutenant General Richard Nugee, Chief Executive, The Scar Free Foundation, said: “Veterans returning home with life-changing injuries deserve the utmost in care. Beyond physical wounds, the invisible scars of war significantly impact mental and emotional health.
With the generous support of the AFCFT, we are tackling the neglected issue of conflict-related genital injuries through pioneering, collaborative research. Our goal is to create tailored psychological support tools to meet the unique challenges faced by Veterans with genital scarring.
Together, we are committed to improving the wellbeing of Veterans and supporting their journey towards healing, recovery and fulfilment.”
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