Story & photo: Lisa Swift
Muslim Women’s Voices held their second AGM in February, following a year of successful work and projects.
One of the founding members, Zaiada Bibi, opened the meeting with encouraging words,
“We are mothers and we also have to work but it is important that we are at the front of activity in our community.”
Following a very successful AGM last year, women have taken the initiative and set up projects, most notably in Darnall, where new activities for women and children have been developed. Women have taken part in an Appreciative Inquiry Project at St Mary’s Community Centre to help understand the barriers to learning for Pakistani women. Women have also built their confidence to interact with those in power through a ‘How your area works’ course.
The event concluded with a lively discussion about what changes people had seen for Muslim women in the last 12 months. It was certainly the case that more women had been active in their community but there is still a lot more to do if services are to keep going and reach Muslim women in the future.