As we entered the 2021/22 financial year, the aftershock of the COVID-19 pandemic was still ever present and our ability to deliver services to our beneficiaries continued to be challenging.
To minimise costs OURMALA continued to operate as a primarily volunteer run charity and, with the support of the Fierce Calm (Community Interest Company), was still able to deliver beneficiary yoga.
In the last two years, OURMALA has revised its strategy to reduce spending in line with its projected income, rethinking and streamlining its delivery model.
Following the pandemic, the outlook for achieving sustainable income for OURMALA remains highly uncertain. Given this situation, the Board of Trustees have taken the difficult decision to close OURMALA.
For 12 years, OURMALA has sought to preserve and protect the physical and mental health of, and relieve the needs of, refugees and asylum seekers, through the provision of access to yoga, activities for social integration and other services. At this time, this kindness is needed more than ever in the world we all live in and we are sorry that we will no longer be able to do this directly.
The decision to close OURMALA has not been taken lightly. The Board of Trustees would like to express its deep feelings of thanks to everyone involved in OURMALA’s work since it was founded in 2011 by Emily Brett.