SPUC’s Alma Mater Fund has now expanded to cover universities across the United Kingdom.
The Alma Mater Fund provides financial grants to pregnant university students facing difficulties, allowing them to continue their course throughout pregnancy and early parenthood. The initiative also helps direct women to additional, sustainable sources of support both on their campus and in their community.
Alma Mater Fund recipient, Alexa, says of her experience, “The Alma Mater Fund was extremely helpful, and the support offered really motivated me to go through with my university career. Finding out there is support out there for mothers that want to finish their academic journey gave me the strength needed to plan my path.”
Previously, SPUC’s Alma Mater Fund was only able to support students at universities in Scotland and Northern Ireland. But this Autumn, the initiative is expanding to universities across the United Kingdom.
Mary Glindon MP welcomed this expansion: “I am delighted to hear that SPUC has now expanded their Alma Mater Fund to support pregnant and new parent students at universities across the whole of the UK. The Fund has already helped so many women in Scotland, it will surely do the same on a nationwide basis. I commend SPUC for this excellent initiative.”
Pregnancy doesn't have to mean the end of an academic journey
Margaret Akers, Services Coordinator for SPUC and facilitator of the initiative, says of the expansion: “We are so pleased to be able to extend the support the Alma Mater Fund offers to universities across the United Kingdom. It has been a great privilege to support the women who have received grants from the fund – and to watch them succeed in their course. There is certainly a demand for this kind of support. For many women, to find out they’re pregnant while on a university course can be devastating. They often feel as if they have to choose between dropping out of their course or terminating their pregnancy, which to many feels like no choice at all.
“Pregnancy doesn’t have to mean the end of an academic journey. With the right support, a woman can achieve the best for herself and her child. We are pleased to now be able to bridge this gap in support in some small way across the United Kingdom.”
If you would like to help spread the word about the Alma Mater Fund in your community, contact info@almamaterfund.org.uk to order posters and leaflets.