Voluntary Action South West Surrey

Our network of offices works with the Catholic community in England & Wales to raise funds and awareness of global poverty and injustice through parishes, schools and networks - working with thousands of volunteers and supporters.

The object of the charity is to relieve the needs and promote the rehabilitation, treatment, education and care of persons who have committed, or who are likely to commit offences, particularly sexual offenses, against others, and the families of such persons and others affected by such offences.

The goal of The Dan Eley Foundation is to create a supportive environment where disadvantaged young children are given the opportunity to try a range of technical and vocational skills and to provide them with the professional training they need to obtain legitimate employment.

It is our aim to be recognized as a charity that helps young people to help themselves and ultimately achieve true independence.

Surrey Reuse Network is a group of six social enterprise charities working together in partnership to reduce landfill and help their communities by providing affordable furniture for all throughout Surrey.

To enhance the lives of all those we come into contact with.

The Guildford Mukono (Uganda) Link was established in 2003 to foster an understanding between the communities of Guildford and Mukono. It is through friendship that we have found many ways of working together.

In Guildford, there are 10 Linked schools, Surrey University and individuals are involved in various projects. Some initiatives have arisen because a need has been identified, others have resulted from spontaneous ideas from chance meetings.  All are based on respect for each other’s culture and institutions.

We have an active committee of 10 people and have 200 supporters. There are regular visits to Mukono and reciprocal visits to Guildford.

What we do

Home-Start helps families with young children deal with whatever life throws at them. We support parents as they learn to cope, improve their confidence and build better lives for their children. The benefits of our support include improved health and well being and better family relationships.

We provide one-to-one support for parents
Our volunteers visit the family’s home for a couple of hours every week.  They tailor-make their support to the needs of the parents and children. Volunteers are very committed and will keep visiting until the youngest child turns five or starts school, or until the parents feel they can stand on their own two feet.  Parents and volunteers often develop a deeply trusting relationship which can lead to powerful change within the family.

We also run social events for families.

Our values

- We offer families choice
- We work in partnership - with each other, with families and with other agencies,
- We work in a spirit of openness, encouragement and enjoyment
- We are flexible and responsive to the needs of families.

Why it matters

The five years between birth and school are vital for a child’s development. What goes on inside a family during these years strongly determines the opportunities and life chances children have. Children who are raised in a stable, loving, family environment are more likely to have a positive and healthy future. But being a parent isn’t easy and sometimes life can get in the way. Circumstances throw you off course and everything else can take a back seat. A young child caught up in this can miss out on the love, routine and stimulation that are so vital for their future.  Home-Start works because our volunteers are parents. They understand how hard it can be.  They work alongside parents, in their own homes, to help them cope with the stresses and strains of life and make sure they have the skills, time and strength they need to nurture their children.

Our vision

Home-Start wants to see a society in which every parent has the support they need to give their children the best possible start in life.

Home-Start in Waverley  is a voluntary organisation that helps families with at least one child under 5 years who are finding life difficult.  We believe that a little help early on, is more valuable than a lot of help later, when things are going seriously wrong.

By helping early on with a word of advice or help to find independence, young children will have a better start in life, and have a better chance to turn out as productive and responsible citizens. We know that parenting is not easy.

Home-Start is a non-judgemental organisation, and helps any parent who is struggling, for any reason. Some of those reasons may include; multiple births, an abusive partner, isolation, mental or physical handicap, or the pressure that loss of employment brings to a family.

For life without poverty, for everyone, for good. 

Oxfam saves lives in disasters. We get clean water running, help people earn a living, grow food and send children to school. We stand up for the rights of women everywhere. And we speak out against injustices that keep people poor. With your help we fight poverty now - and beat it for good. 

We aim to reduce landfill by collecting and selling donated goods. We provide support and development for volunteers on "back to work" programmes and we provide low cost goods to help those on low income.