FUTURE VISION
Bringing South Asian Heritage to Stormont
Representation matters.
In 2022, I launched South Asian Heritage Month at Stormont, creating an opportunity to celebrate South Asian culture, heritage and contribution within one of Northern Ireland’s most significant civic settings.
The initiative reflected a wider ambition behind my work: communities should have opportunities not merely to integrate but also to participate visibly, confidently and positively in the civic life of Northern Ireland.
Celebrating heritage can help people develop pride in their identity while providing opportunities for people from other backgrounds to learn, connect and challenge misconceptions.
Leadership Through Empowerment
The achievements of BAWA are ultimately not only about what I have done personally. They are about what women can accomplish when someone creates opportunities and encourages them to believe in themselves.
Women learning to swim for the first time matters.
Women deciding that they are capable of running matters.
Women entering employment and developing greater independence matters.
Women stepping onto a football pitch and challenging expectations matter.
Members of a community coming together to donate more than 1,000 food packs to people experiencing homelessness matter.
And ensuring that someone facing discrimination, bereavement, financial hardship or injustice does not have to face that situation alone matters.
These individual changes, multiplied across a community, are how lasting social change begins.
Future Vision
My ambition is to build on BAWA’s foundations and expand opportunities for women to develop confidence, wellbeing, independence and leadership.
The next chapter of my work will continue to focus on:
•increasing women’s participation in public spaces;
•supporting women towards employment and economic independence;
•advocating for women affected by racism, hate crime and discrimination;
•developing women’s confidence and leadership;
•strengthening understanding between communities;
•increasing the visibility and contribution of South Asian women in Northern Ireland; and
•creating opportunities for women who have been empowered through BAWA to become leaders and role models for others.
My long-term measure of success is not simply the growth of an organisation. It is whether women who once felt excluded or unable to participate become confident enough to open doors for the women who follow them.
Contribution and Legacy
From establishing Belfast Asian Women’s Academy in 2019 to supporting more than 100 women, creating new sporting opportunities, mobilising substantial food donations, undertaking individual advocacy and bringing South Asian Heritage Month to Stormont, my work has consistently sought to transform representation into participation and participation into empowerment.
The common thread is social justice.
My commitment is to ensure that women facing barriers are not defined by discrimination, race, circumstances or lack of opportunity, but are recognised for their ability, potential and contribution.
I want the legacy of this work to be a community of women who are healthier, more confident, economically independent, socially engaged and increasingly willing to become leaders themselves.
Empower one woman, and the impact can extend far beyond one life. Give women opportunities to lead, and they can strengthen an entire community.
