My name is Ashan Khehra, and I am an ambassador for the national children’s charity, KidsOut, that provides new toys and well-being experiences for some of the UK’s most vulnerable children. I am passionate about making a difference to the lives of children who have been affected by domestic abuse.
As the Chair of the London Youth Assembly, I have set up a Go Fund Me page, called Reaching for the Stars, for the purpose of raising funds to pay to take children that have experienced emotional, violent, and sexual abuse, on a fun day out next summer.
Women and children who flee abuse to seek safety in the many women’s refuges in the capital, often have to live in one room with their family, for anything up to two years. They will have had to leave everything that is familiar behind them, including family, friends, schools, employment, and belongings, often arriving in refuge with no more than the clothes they are wearing. My hope is to provide the children with a day out where they can just have fun, and importantly have something to look forward to.
With the charity supporting over 7000 children in London, I also wants to raise awareness of the impact that domestic abuse has on children, many who will go on to experience mental health problems in adulthood, including drug and alcohol misuse, self-harm, and even take their lives.
Thousands of children each year have their childhood’s taken away due to the impact of domestic abuse. I ask everyone to please donate whatever they can afford to help give these vulnerable children the opportunity to create new and happier memories after experiencing so much hardship and trauma.
For more information or donate please go to:https://www.gofundme.com/f/9vs395-reaching-for-the-stars
