Ministry of Social Affairs Emblem

Thus The Global Opportunities Fund at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office became engaged in a project to support the growth and operations of the charity and civil society sector in Saudi Arabia through training programmes.

The Haven was approached by members of INTRAC about the training project in late 2007 and asked to provide information about services and other International work. As a result in March 2008 INTRAC hosted a visit of senior representatives of Saudi charities and The Ministry of Social Affairs to the UK and The Haven was contracted to deliver part of the training programme.

Training Programme

A training and awareness programme was delivered to the Saudi visitors which covered:

• How victims of domestic violence are supported through the Criminal Justice System in the UK;
• Management of a hostel for women and children;
•  Partnership relationships between Voluntary and Statutory sectors, in a joint effort to tackle Domestic Violence;
• UK Legislation on DV;
• Support available for victims of domestic violence

The training programme detailed The Haven's vision for all women and children to live in a society free from oppression, homelessness, violence and abuse and to promote and uphold human rights, as well as information on UK domestic violence statistics and national targets. The visitors were also given in depth information on The Haven's mission statement, the structure of the organisation, strategic aims, services available, performance monitoring, appeals and other training programmes available.

Constraints, Issues and Challenges

All staff involved were given guidance notes for the Saudi group of visitors which described the appropriate code of conduct. It was important that all members of staff received such guidance so as to ensure differences in culture were considered. The guidance detailed how cultural and religious differences between our countries are often detailed in the media and that this was an area of conversation that should be avoided. It also provided practical advice on how to meet and greet guests, as well as information on food, tradition and Saudi conduct.

The other challenge was the pressure to change the programme to fit the emerging needs of the visitors. For example - the original programme agreed with INTRAC included four visits to Haven hostels and was to run from Tuesday 11th March to Friday 14th March. However on Tuesday the visitors informed us that they were leaving on Thursday evening and that they also only wanted to see one hostel as opposed to four. Additionally there was a change to the number of visitors, with another two visitors joining the original three visitors accommodated by INTRAC. These and other requirements resulted in many last minute changes to the programme which were successfully implemented by hard working Haven staff.

Visitor Feedback

Our visitors were very impressed with our work at The Haven and expressed thanks and gratitude for the training they received. They commented "Thank you for your hospitality and the great efforts you extended" and "You taught us what we really needed".

Haven Feedback

The visit from representatives of Saudi charities and The Ministry of Social Affairs was a fantastic opportunity for staff at The Haven to meet people from other cultures. It was a pleasure to pass on our knowledge and experience to those who work in the same sector abroad. We are all fighting for the same cause, for domestic violence to be seen as a crime and provide the high quality services to women and children experiencing this terrible form of abuse. We hope that the training provided will come in useful and that news codes of conduct and practice can be established within Saudi domestic violence organisations.

During our Investors in People assessment in March 2008 comments were made by staff which included "we were proud to participate" and "the international project has had a big impact on The Haven. It is reinforcing our knowledge and experience..it has strengthened local and national relationships and has also raised awareness of domestic violence.

The visit has helped to raise income for The Haven Wolverhampton and has helped us to build and establish new partnerships with international NGO's.

We are also pleased to announce that as of July 2008 we will be continuing our work with Saudi Arabia. Check back for more details soon.

Useful Links:

Minitrsy of Social Affairs Website: http://eng.felagsmalaraduneyti.is/

INTRAC Website: www.intrac.org/