IMPACT REPORT 2023
A YEAR OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS
+44 (0)2036649519 www.hearwomen.org Stowe Centre, London W2 5ES info@hearwomen.org
Content Page
ABOUT US 4 CHAIR'S REPORT 5 OUR IMPACT 2023/2024 6 GOVERNANCE AND STRUCTURE 7 PROGRAMMES 9 CASE STUDIES 10 ACHEIVEMENTS 11 FUTURE DIRECTIONS 1 OUR DONORS AND PARTNERS 13 ANNUAL ACCOUNTS 14 NEEDS ASSESSMENT SURVEY 18 18
About Us
Articulated in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we consider the key to effecting change is to advance women’s full and effective participation in decision making at all levels of political, economic, and public life. Women can become key decision makers if they feel safe and are provided the knowledge, skills, and support to advocate for themselves.
Hear Women helps women through:
– Providing safe spaces for them to build relationships, discuss personal issues, and to develop self-confidence.
– Providing support, skills, and links to resources to develop their abilities to address mental health needs, improve their physical health, and advocate for themselves.
– Providing education and training to enable them to fully participate in the political process.
Our Mission and Approach
Our mission is a world where women and girls are equal partners in their com m unities, free from prejudices and have the right know ledge and skills to make their own decisions, speak up about issues affecting them, and to become independent.
Our approach is to form partnership with local women-led groups in Africa and the UK to promote local ownership and long-term
Sustainable change that will shape national policies and create regional dialogues, as w ell as international awareness on good practices.
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HEAR WOMEN |IMPACT REPORT 2023
Chair's Statement
HearWomen successfully achieved all objectives and targets for 2023. I am also pleased that we were the winners of the London Faith and Community Awards 2019. We also are very pleased that our founders, partners, and most importantly, our service users, see us as a foundation that has the expertise and capacity to deliver much-needed social services efficiently and effectively. I am pleased to report that Hear Women was one of the first organisations to react to this pandemic by implementing projects for families with a focus on health and wellbeing activities as well as projects that focus on building families’ relationships. Our projects: peer support, nutrition, cooking & talking, mental health, dancing to music & digital world and yoga, English Conversation classes, and families fund time digitally.
We are grateful to have highly qualified Management Committee members and CEO who bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise and appreciate the hard work and sacrifice of our volunteers, without whom this foundation could not meet its goals. They have also fruitfully accomplished the ambitious targets set by our founders. I would also like to welcome our new trustee and look forward to working with them closely for the coming year. I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep appreciation to all trustee management members, employees, and volunteers for their hard work and dedication during these hard times, as well as our supporters and the public in general. Many thanks also go to our founders and organisations that we worked with over the last year for their tearless support and engorgement. We are also pleased to announce that during the difficult times of COVID we have introduced our online community and curried our much-needed activities through online. Covid was very challenging times, and we are pleased we have worked with organisations such as the NHS closely to provide much-needed support and advice to the communities we serve. Thank you to all for supporting HearWomen, who is standing for BME women and their families to be positive constitutors to British society.
SAMIA ZAKI
CHAIR OF HEAR WOMEN
HEAR WOMEN |IMPACT REPORT 2023
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Our Impact
Beneficiaries of our services are coming from North Africa and the Middle Eas t
%90
Hear Women has established a new partnership this year with local women-led organisations, who have similar 592 participants in HearWomen classes and activities.
4
2562
Participants in HearWomen classes and activities 2023/2024
%5
%5 Beneficiaries of our services are East African
%5 Beneficiaries of our services are coming from Asian and fare East communities
%5
%5 Beneficiaries of our services are coming from Asian and fare East communities
%5
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Governance & Structure
Hear Women/GarGar Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees consisting of chair, secretary, treasury, and members, which have the overall responsibility for governance and management of the organization. The Foundation has six trustees, each undertaking the responsibility of constant development to maintain skills and appropriateness to govern. Hear Women’s policies and procedures are recognized by the Quality Mark of Governance PIQASSO.
Founder and Director
Ms Deqa Salad established the foundation in December 2008 with the aim of using her experience in international development, human rights and gender to support women to be independent and thrive in their communities. Deqa actively advocates for Women political participation both in Somalia and the UK. She was awarded Women on the Move award in 2 017 for her dedicated work and passion. Deqa’s mission is supported by Hear Women’s committed volunteers, most of whom have been previous service users.
The Team
The UK team is led by Deqa and supported by Hassan, Hagir. Hasna implements the U K programmes, and Hagir looks after the domestic and international fundraising. Our small office is supported by committed volunteers, who believe in Hear Women's mission. Some of them have been previous service users.
2023
User-led Charity
Knowledge and experience
All our programmes are user-led, and the initial development of programmes is always based on clearly identified needs of the com m unity we serve.
Focus Groups
Hear Women service users are regularly given the opportunity to feedback their needs both form ally and informally.
User Feed Back
This is important to past, existing, and future programmes. Information gathered from the evaluation and the monitoring of system s is the basis of evidence.
Monitoring And Evaluation
The performance of services and projects are regularly checked to review those programmes that work and those that do not, as this helps us to improve how we do things and learn from mistakes.
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UK Programmes
Cook & Talk
Provides a safe space for women to socialise over tasty healthy food prepared by themselves. Women socialise and help each other by sharing experiences and strategies to overcome stress and obstacles.
Wellbeing, Education & Sports Classes
The project is for women and children of economically disadvantaged BME communities in the Grenfell area have had a huge impact, on the children/young people we supported during the COVID-19 pandemic and the following lockdown.
Saturday Club _ Mother & Child Program
The project offers tutoring, parenting courses and sport activities, so that our community does not lose access to these invaluable resources during Covid 19
Mental Health Counselling Group
The project improves women’s mental wellbeing, gives them motivation and builds the users self-confidence. Reinforce the community, fight isolation, and strengthen the physical and mental health of our users. Aside from the hygiene pack project, we also personally took care of the most vulnerable of our service users.
Dance to Music & Digital World
Hear Women provides diaspora women and young people form Africa and the Middle East with a safe and inclusive space to learn, socialise and access advice and support. We also advise and link women to community resources and help them to bridge the gap between service users and service providers.
Ongoing Projects
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Case Studies
Hanane (English Lessons)
Maryam (Mental health classes)
“I'm very happy because I found this session because I’m mum for three children I don't have time to go to the college thank you so much for the all people who did this session xx
“I want to thank the organisation for their work in supporting us mentally and physically. We are always learning new things and we feel as if we grow daily, and our knowledge expands greatly. We feel we’ve learnt how to better deal with our children, and how to control our anger and reduce our stress. I can understand my children better now. When we are in the class with the other ladies, we feel as if we are one family, and we enjoy talking to each other. We continued through the online classes during Ramadan which helped us to be connected. I especially benefited from the Nutrition sessions.”
Thank you. I’d like how to speak well English when I go to the hospital or teachers ...........”
Intisar (Church Street Project)
“I would like to thank you for the great class and the welcoming and warm atmosphere. The class helped and encouraged us to strengthen our family relationships and build stronger bonds.”
Awatif (English Lessons ) “ Thank you for the homework I enjoyed it with my daughter.”
Amira (Nutrition classes)
“Through the Nutrition classes, I was able to learn a lot of useful and informative things. I have very heavy bleeding and anaemia, and I had difficulties in explaining my condition, as I felt embarrassed, which was also affecting me mentally. The nutritionist listened to me patiently, provided professional advice and guided me on what I had to do. She encouraged me to inform my GP and told me about the food’s rich in iron, and the vitamins that can help me with the anaemia. I felt so relieved, and I am very grateful for your support and help.”
Eman (English Lessons ) “Thank you, Lucy, very important.”
Fawzia ( International Women’s
Day)
“I really enjoyed International Woman’s Day so much. I proudly wore my traditional clothing which represented my country, Eritrea. I would like to thank you Hear Women Foundation and the manager, Deqa Salad, for the continuous support. A special thank you to Mr. Sami for his support and kind contributions that united us.”
Muna (Dance to Music session ) “Yamani The class is extremely beneficial, and I love it so much. It makes us happy and positively changes our moods. I like the daily stretches video by the Zumba coach to practice it after breaking our Ramadan iftar which helped me to keeping healthy and fit.”
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Achievements In 2023, HearWomen...
O
Hear Women won the highly Commended Outstanding Organisation Of the Year 20 Westminster
Hear Women achieved Trusted Organisation Quality Mark by NCVO
Hear Women took part of women peace and security commission
Secured 3 years contract from public health Westminster
We have been Nominated For Queens’s award 2019
Winner of the London Faith and Hear Women becoming Community Awards 2019 registered and accredited Online Centres
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HEAR WOMEN |IMPACT REPORT 2023
Future Directions 2024
1.Working on securing more contractual and long-term funding.
- 2.Working towards digitalisation of our projects.
3.Providing more specialise mental health services.
- 4.Supporting more communities.
5.Working towards renewing organisational Quality Mark.
- Showcasing the needs of the community in more specifics.
In 2023/2024 Hear Women expanded its geographical focus and is currently implementing a project targeting by moving many of its activities online. This will give opportunity to reach those groups who are hard to reach and engage them with our different programmes, so they are less isolated and feel more included. Furthermore, through our Saturday clubs Hear Women identifies the need for activities that encourage stronger bonds between parents and children as key priority for 2023/2024 will be focused on that area. As well as Our service users share that our therapy classes and self-help groups are benefiting their mental health, thus we will sustain the services. Next, our beneficiaries express the need for more physical activities, therefore Hear Women will encourage active life for parents and children.
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HEAR WOMEN |IMPACT REPORT 2023
Our Funders & Partners
WEST LONDON CLINIC ALCOMMISSIONING GROUP HEALTH WATCH
PEOPLE’S HEALTH TRUST JOHN LYON’S FOUNDATION LLOYDS FOUNDATION ETHAR RELIEF
ERITREAN PARENTS GROUP BME HEALTH FORUM
PIMCO FOUNDATION AL-KHAIR FOUNDATION ONE WESTMINSTER
HENRY DICKENS COMMUNITY CENTRE STOWE YOUTH CENTRE
PADDINGTON DEVELOPMENT TRUST SOCIAL COUNCIL KENGSINGTON AND
CHELSEY
WOMEN’S BUREAU THE GAMBIA BIG LOTTERY KENSINGTON AND CHELSEA FOUNDATION AWARDS FOR ALL
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Annual Account 2023
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Needs Assessment Survey Feb2024
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HEAR WOMEN GARGAR FOUNDATION