We’re two years into our partnership with the WONDER Foundation, and 1st Formations is working hard to help underprivileged women and girls gain access to education.
Our volunteer days, fundraising events, and corporate donations are a point of pride here at 1st Formations. Read on for an update on our impact so far.
What is the WONDER Foundation?
The WONDER Foundation is a UK-based charity that works closely with women-led organisations across Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America to improve access to education.
Since its formation in 2012, WONDER has worked with 36 partners in 24 countries to equip more than 120,000 women and girls with wisdom, confidence, and practical livelihood skills.
Why 1st Formations supports this cause
As champions of gender and employment equality, we work with WONDER to help transform women’s lives through access to education and vocational training. We both value sustainability and aim to treat each person as an individual with unique needs.
To encourage everyone to participate, 1st Formations employees can volunteer two working days per year, fully paid. We facilitate this because volunteering has a direct positive impact on the community. Additionally, it promotes stronger relationships at work, gives employees new skills, and boosts well-being.
Ultimately, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is something we genuinely want to do right. As company formation agents, we lead by example to show the real social impact businesses can make alongside their day-to-day operations.
Our impact so far
We’re proud to report that 1st Formations has made a marked difference in these two years.
Our donations directly fund scholarships for girls at Colegio Junkabal, a school located in Guatemala City on the margins of Central America’s largest rubbish dump. They also help provide vocational training for mothers, offering them better and safer employment.
A look at our recent volunteer day
1st Formations staff recently participated in one of WONDER’s largest-ever volunteering days at the Baytree Centre in Brixton, South London. This is one of WONDER Foundation’s partner projects, and it’s an educational charity serving over 800 local women and girls who come from adverse childhoods and living conditions. It provides them with tools to identify and overcome their specific challenges and improve their life chances.
The day’s purpose was to refresh the centre before the next academic year, making the space comfortable and amenable to all.
Our volunteers worked on the following tasks:
- Decorating the prayer room to ensure the space is clean and presentable
- Redesigning the notice boards and entrance area to maintain an immediately welcoming environment
- Helping the volunteer artist create a mural in the art room to help transform the space into a creative hub
- Cleaning and reorganising key areas and classrooms, preparing the centre as an empowering and tidy space for women and girls
What our employees have to say about volunteering
Participating in the volunteering day with Wonder Foundation was an incredibly enriching experience. It was inspiring to see how our small actions could contribute to the empowerment of women and children worldwide. We didn’t just give our time; we gained a profound sense of purpose and a deeper connection to a global community striving for positive change. – Polina Khristoforova, Sales and Support Executive.
It was incredibly rewarding to contribute something tangible to the centre, knowing it would directly impact the lives of the women and girls who use it. The opportunity to prepare the classrooms that will become spaces of learning and growth was a truly meaningful experience. It is a great feeling to know that we played a small part in helping the women and girls who use the centre. – Freddie-Nicolle Brace, Head of Legal.
Future plans in the works
Get ready to see more from us after our highly-anticipated pool tournament fundraiser in September. We’ll also run more employee volunteering days in December and throughout 2025.
Above all, we highly recommend you get involved, too. Why not donate to the WONDER Foundation to help this cause continue its great work? And if you’re interested, consider volunteering. WONDER welcomes individual volunteers and corporate partnerships, so get in touch to find out how to show your support.
We always welcome more fundraising ideas, so drop us a comment if inspiration strikes!
Thank you for reading.
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