National Lottery grant to support Chinese families across Wales

THE Chinese in Wales Association charity successfully applied for a National Lottery grant of £440,332. The charity will use the money to help improve the lives of ethnic Chinese families in Wales, particularly families with autistic children.

With its grant, Chinese in Wales Association – usually known as CIWA – will employ more staff. Over the next five years they will manage a support and signposting service for Chinese families with children who have autism or similar learning difficulties. They will provide an advocacy role to families, supporting them through meetings with health professionals, schools and support services. They will also offer tailored support to families to make sure their children’s needs are met.

Chair of CIWA, Shirley Au-Yeung, said, “We are thrilled to receive this large grant from The National Lottery Community Fund. As a grassroots, community-led charity supporting residents with Chinese heritage, we fully understand the difficulties and challenges that the autistic children and their families in our community are facing. The grant will enable us to provide a vital service for the next five years and make a positive impact on these people’s lives.”

Rebecca Blanche, Funding Officer at The National Lottery Community Fund Wales, said, “We are delighted to be able to support Chinese in Wales Association (CIWA) with this important work. It will help ensure that Chinese families who need support will continue to have it for at least another five years. Thank you to those who play the National Lottery for making it possible to fund projects like this that are making a huge difference to people’s lives across Wales.”

Hazel Lim, Senior Project Manager at CIWA and a Multilingual Autism Specialist, recently received a Points of Light award from the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, for providing incredible support for Chinese families living with autism in Wales and across the UK.