Little Village

Little Village supports 3,000 children each year from across London, ensuring they have the essential items they need to thrive. Families who have been referred are able to visit the charity and select the items they need for their babies and pre-schoolers - everything from cots to socks.

All these items are gifted by the local community, and passed on with love. Beyond addressing basic needs, the organization welcomes families to warm, sociable drop-in sessions where they can get advice about housing and benefits, as well as enjoying a cup of tea, a friendly chat, and a chance for their children to play.

“These are children growing up with very little,” says Chief Executive, Sophia Parker. “They lack warm coats, safe places to sleep, shoes that fit, and buggies to get around in. As well as providing the essentials, we are reducing the emotional impact of material poverty on parents. All our volunteers go through therapeutically-informed training so that they are able to support the families who visit with warmth and dignity. The funding from National Lottery secured us two more years of being able to operate our three sites across London, so that we could treble the number of families we’re reaching, and expand our volunteer programme.”

One in eight volunteers and one in five paid staff are parents that the project has supported. It is working to grow these numbers through targeted outreach work, the development of buddy and Ambassador Roles, and the provision of a crèche, which is staffed by two of the mums it has supported.