March 2nd 2019 sees the ground-breaking insurance provider Emerald Life launch the Emerald 50Fund: a new initiative established with the award-winning charity GiveOut to support grassroots LGBT+ activism across Southern Africa.
Emerald Life is the world’s first insurance provider to offer truly inclusive policies and customer journeys for the LGBT+ community and women, helping to end discrimination and unfair treatment in the provision of insurance.
The launch of the Emerald 50Fund sees Emerald Life strengthen its credentials as a leader in the field of championing diversity and inclusion in all its forms, confirming the company as a true ally of the LGBT+ community and women.
From launch, the Emerald 50Fund will be supporting Access Chapter 2, an organisation led by the long-standing social justice campaigner Steve Letsike, which works with LGBT+ and women’s groups across South Africa to empower and educate them on advocating for their rights.
Access Chapter 2 will be working with a number of community groups, including Free Gender (a support group for LBT women) and Khayelitsha Queer hub (a safe space for gay men). Both groups, based in the Khayelitsha township in Cape Town, work with the local police and authorities to support those who have been subject to discrimination, violence and sexual violence based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, as well as pursuing justice for those who have been tortured or killed because they are LGBT+.
Emerald Life and its Chairman Steve Wardlaw are sponsoring the Emerald 50Fund and fundraising to grow it. Every Emerald Life customer can choose to give 5 per cent of their premium to the Emerald 50Fund, with 100 per cent of that money supporting grassroots LGBT+ activism.
Steve Wardlaw, Chairman of Emerald Life commented:
“When we launched Emerald Life in 2016, we were immensely proud to offer the LGBT+ community insurance policies which aren’t outdated, which aren’t discriminatory and ensure protection for everyone who is LGBT+. South Africa and its recent history is very close to my heart, it is truly a place I love, and a home away from home. The launch of the Emerald 50Fund is my way of giving something back to the country by supporting those courageous activists who are working to improve the situation for their communities.”
Rupert Abbott, Executive Director of GiveOut commented:
“We are tremendously excited to be working with Steve Wardlaw and Emerald Life to bring new resources into the LGBT+ movement in Southern Africa. And we are proud to be supporting the work of Access Chapter 2, a remarkable organisation working to advance LGBT+ human rights in South Africa and the region. Thank you so much to everyone who has already donated to the Emerald 50Fund.”
To give to the Emerald 50Fund, visit www.totalgiving.co.uk/mypage/Emerald50Fund. Visitors will be able to choose whether Gift Aid can be claimed on their donation, meaning GiveOut can claim an extra 25p for every £1 given. Further, anyone buying an Emerald policy can choose to donate 5 per cent of their premium to the Fund simply by using the code 50FUND when they buy.
For further information please contact:
Emerald Life: GiveOut:
Danny Sullivan, Senior Account Manager, TDC PR Callum Jackson, Grant-making and Communications Officer
danny@tdcpr.com | +447715 603 176 callum@giveout.org | +44 7885 705170
Notes to Editors
Please visit:
www.totalgiving.co.uk/mypage/Emerald50Fund
About Emerald Life:
Emerald Life is an insurance provider (home, travel, wedding and pet insurances) focused on addressing the needs of under-represented groups across the financial services sector – women, the LGBT community, non-traditional families and single people.
As well as being the first full-service insurance provider for the LGBT community, it was awarded Ethical Financial Services Provider of the Year in 2016, supports a number of grassroots organisations committed to addressing inequality, and recently Steve has advised trade bodies including the ABI on BAME issues within insurance. More information can be found at www.emeraldlife.co.uk.
About Steve Wardlaw:
Steve Wardlaw has been a campaigner for LGBT+ rights for over 30 years. He is an Stonewall Ambassador, and he and his husband Ian were one of the model couple for the Civil Partnership Bill. Prior to insurance, he was an oil and gas lawyer, working on international transactions and ultimately living in Moscow for eight years with Ian. He now lives in Kent with Ian and their two dogs.
About GiveOut:
GiveOut is a new charity raising funds for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) causes worldwide.
Around the world, activists are doing vital work to promote and protect the rights of LGBTQI people. But the movement is underfunded, and it’s often not easy for individuals to provide support.
GiveOut has been established to create a new and sustainable source of funding for the global LGBTQI movement, by enabling individual donors to give through a single platform to fund LGBTQI activists and their organisations.