Women’s Health, Confidence and Sport
One of the central aims of my work has been to help women move beyond barriers that can limit participation in everyday life.
Physical activity can provide much more than fitness. For women who have lacked opportunities or confidence to participate, sport can become a route into friendship, confidence, independence and a greater sense of belonging.
Through my community leadership, I have empowered 25 women to learn swimming and 20 women to start running.
I also established the first Asian women’s amateur football team, creating another opportunity for Asian women to participate in a sport in which they had previously been under-represented. The initiative attracted wider public attention and was featured on BBC Northern Ireland News.
These initiatives demonstrate a practical model of empowerment: identifying a barrier, creating an opportunity and encouraging women to believe that participation is possible.
Compassion Beyond Our Own Community
My approach to community leadership has always extended beyond a single ethnic or cultural group.
During a period of significant need, I initiated food-pack donations to Belfast Homeless Services. BAWA members embraced the initiative and collectively donated more than 1,000 food packs.
The initiative demonstrated the wider ethos I have sought to develop within BAWA: empowerment also means enabling women to become active contributors to the society around them.
Rather than seeing minority ethnic women only as people who may require support, I believe it is equally important to recognise the enormous contribution they can make to their communities.
Advocacy When It Matters Most
Alongside programmes and community initiatives, some of my most important work has involved standing beside people at extremely difficult moments in their lives.
I supported a family experiencing financial hardship and played a crucial advocacy role in challenging a company’s decision to stop paying full wages to an employee who was dying from cancer. Following that intervention, the decision was overturned.
In another exceptional situation, I advocated with the Home Office regarding the urgent processing of a visa required because of a funeral, contributing to the emergency visa being processed.
These experiences demonstrate the principle that runs throughout my work: advocacy should lead to meaningful action.
For people dealing with grief, serious illness, discrimination, financial difficulty or unfamiliar institutions, having someone prepared to speak up with them can make an important difference.
My role has therefore developed beyond organising community activities. It encompasses advocacy, leadership and creating pathways for people to have their voices heard.
