On the occasion of International Women’s Day, March 8, Aflið received a grant of 10,000 US dollars, equivalent to approximately 1.4 million ISK, from the Alcoa Foundation. The grant will support our operations in East Iceland and strengthen our services there.
Erla Hrönn, Executive Director of Aflið, said in an interview with Anna H. Pálsdóttir at Alcoa, that Aflið emphasizes that services for survivors of violence should not depend on their place of residence. “We are very grateful for this grant, which will enable us to better promote our activities in East Iceland. Many in the region do not know about us, but are in dire need of assistance. Survivors in rural areas often have limited access to resources, but it must not be the case that residence determines how far an individual has to travel to meet a professional or seek refuge from violence.”
In recent months, we have been working to establish more offices in rural areas, where we have seen that when the service is available in an area, the number of people seeking help increases. This indicates that proximity to resources is crucial when it comes to getting help.
In September 2022, the municipalities of Múlaþing and Fjarðabyggð signed an agreement with Aflið for regular services for survivors of violence in East Iceland. Since Vopnarfjörður and Fljótdalshreppur are part of Múlaþing’s social services, the service is accessible to all Eastfjords residents. The municipalities have also provided accommodation for interviews, which can be sensitive for survivors, who are afraid of meeting others who could connect them to the service. We therefore want to get closer to the people, the service is not only for victims, but also for their relatives who are often reluctant to seek help. Violence has a wide-ranging impact on families and loved ones.
The grant from Alcoa enables us at Aflið to promote our activities in East Iceland, both in print and on social media. This way, more people know about us and can then contact us and get the help they need and want. We will also be able to hold courses on the consequences of violence, provide education in the workplace and be more present in the community.
We thank Alcoa very much for the grant, which will certainly be of great use to the organization.
