Multicultural Resource CentreMulticultural Resource Centre
South Asian Healthy Eating (Recipe Book)
This book has been developed for the South Asian community to outline healthy
Eating as a part of our Arts and Health Projects.
These types of activities are more readily accessible to South Asian women who may not have a strong command of English and who may not feel confident to engage with health professionals. This project was positive steps to engage in ways
to improve their mental health and wellbeing.
The Lock-Down Poetry project was to work with our existing members and other South Asian communities in Rochdale through social media, Whatsapp and facebook. We developed a WhatsApp group of people to participate in this project.
For centuries, poetry has been the literary form that has told the stories of our times. This artform always has a common interest within Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities.
Members were asked to write short poem or prose or if they have seen any poem or prose on social media which they can share in the Group. We have contacted three professional writers in Rochdale and Oldham, Ms Saba, Mrs Kanwal and Mr S Raza, they have agreed to be a part of the project and gave us full support.
These poems are now a record of what is happening as seen through poets’ eyes. We have also consulted two Community organisations Deeplish Community Centre and Castlemere Community Centre and their members took part in this project.
Project was an an opportunity for reflection and inspiration in these challenging times.
The collection of the poetry was published, and books were distributed to members of the community and organisations.
The project was to make Care Packs with the followings the followings:
1 Audio CD Self Help Depression and Low Mood English and Urdu
1 Audio CD Self Help Stress and Anxiety English and Urdu
1 Audio CD Self Help Depression and Low Mood English and Bangla
1 Audio CD Self Help Stress and Anxiety English and Bangla
1 DVD Dementia Awareness Urdu with English Subtitle
3 A/4 print, Mental Health Awareness Urdu and English
100 packs were done with the help of volunteers. 15 packs were kept at our Community Health Information Shop and 85 were delivered at Warehouse at Sparth Community Centre
The project was to work with BAME organisations and Groups in Rochdale, Oldham, and Ashton to support in accessing their local Community Foundation and secure National Emergencies Trust (NET) funds.
We worked with 7 organisations:
Due to Lockdown we could not work with Refugees Group at Baptist Church Oldham
We consulted for day and time to all the organisations via Zoom and telephone to deliver the project.
Two organisations received all the training via telephone and Zoom.
Five organisations received all the training via telephone, face to face and Zoom.
The sessions included:
Awareness of local Community Foundation and National Emergencies Trust (NET) funding and supporting opportunities.
Helping them to identify which funds they require and then worked with them to apply.
Mentoring and supporting them the application process.
Organisations were provided all the handouts including funding information from other sources as well.
WhatsApp Group was developed for funding information and is still up and running.
Out of 7 groups only two knew about Community Foundation and secure National Emergencies Trust (NET) funds.
Feedback:
All 7 groups applied for funding and 3 groups have told us that they have received funding. Two groups said that they also got funding but from other sources.
‘It was great opportunity at this time when we were struggling due to lockdown and now we have secure funding from Forever Manchester. Thank you so much’ Suhail Ahmed Deeplish Community Centre
‘Many thanks Abdul Bhai we have learned a lot from the sessions and got some funding as well’ Surajben, Indian Association.
‘It was great informative project and now we have applied for funding’ Sabir Raza, Carvan-e-Adab
‘It is very important to know that what support is available’ Alyas, Pakistani Community Centre.
‘Lot of things we didn’t know about funding business and your sessions were very useful’ Mrs Shaikh, Khazeena Group
‘We were really having hard time during lockdown and the information you provided helped. We have learned a lot and good news we have secured £20000. Mrs Naila Sharif, Khooshamdeed [WELCOME] Women’s Luncheon Club Ashton
Contact were also made with 11 other organisations to identify the barriers to get funding.
Findings
‘We are charitable organisation struggling in pandemic situation hard to get financial help’.
Barriers
1 Skills. Many small organisations are run by 4 or 5 people and they are just doing like front-line delivery service. They do not have understanding or even awareness of grant sector. They find it hard to write a funding application or even fully understand the criteria.
2 Knowledge – Many small BAME community organisations are not aware of what funding is available.
3 In addition to the lack of skills required for grant writing, many small organisation’s trustees are not able to give time or not have enough understanding of the funding system.
4 Some funding trusts have unattainable criteria for small organisations.
If your funding application is not successful many funders do not give detailed feedback.
Step forward:
Capacity, confidence building, and skills training required.
Awareness raising
Funding Trusts need board diversity in their staff and Board.
Funds ear marked for BAME communities
The project was to work with older BAME people in 7 towns of Greater Manchester to reduce isolation and vulnerability. It is to improve their quality of life through the provision of a cultural and language specific support service. The referrals came from housebound older people affected by long term conditions, loneliness, isolation, and lock down. The session worker arranged appointments to identify the level of need then arranged Teletherapy sessions and signposting.
Tailored support was offered by bringing service information to their home where they are housebound. For example, using digital technology-mobile phones or iPads.
The project was to reduce language barriers by offering support in a different South Asian language. Our treasurer and volunteers speak 7 different languages.
The news from Public Health shows that the pandemic might continue, and as a result more people of all ages will experience loneliness and social isolation. Reduction in face-to-face opportunities to socialise, connect with family, neighbours, and friends and to take part in physical activity and everyday cultural and faith experiences.
We are already running regular Zoom sessions to raise awareness of Covid19 and Health. This project will use 5 Ways of Wellbeing tool particularly ‘CONNECT’, to reduce loneliness with BAME Communities by using digital and innovative ways to provide swift, responsive, reassuring help. It will prioritise vulnerable people with long term conditions to access other services. Zoom Session Worker and volunteers will make every week regular wellbeing calls, run online groups and sessions, and provide expert advice through Whatsapp/Facebook page and signposting.
Group activities via Zoom will help to improve social connections.
Using interactive sessions of social activity will focused on health and wellbeing will help to tackle loneliness. One-to-one telephone call approach by trained volunteers befriending part of project will also help to reduce loneliness.
Estimated number of people will benefit via Zoom 100 and via social media 1000.
Training for volunteers Zoom and Team meeting, Video editing, poster making for social media.
Project is to work with our existing members and other South Asian communities in Greater Manchester through social media, Whatsapp and Facebook. We developed a WhatsApp group of people to participate in this project. We also created online poetry event and used Youtube channel to promote. We were also given an opportunity to get BBC News coverage as well.
The project has also produced 11 videos by writers to encourage everyone to get vaccinated. All videos are on our partner organisation Carvan-E-Adab YouTube channel. The project will end in 2021.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zsz-46Y5Feo
The project is to focus on 7 different childhood games of 1950s such as Marbles, Caromboard, Ludo in Indian sub-continent. Working with South Asian Communities in Rochdale, Oldham and Ashton and record memories of older people.
The project is to work with South Asian communities’ older members to enable to benefit from the technology [smart phone]. Last month we did the mini consultations with 35 members of older people’s groups and found that majority is having smart phone but don’t have experience of using it. Some said they don’t know some said they feel shy and some said need support.
The approach is designed to move away from health as disease prevention or cure, to a perception of health as a choice that is available to and accessible by all. Last year we did the pilot project for one month with some health literature and books. We asked the feedback from people who came to our project.
The result showed clients visiting Health Information Shop improved their physical health, increased their income, and reduced their social isolation, stress, and anxiety levels.
We helped clients manage their long-term conditions more effectively, we also involved family members in health-related sessions and encouraging clients to be more physically active.
The family members of clients were also found to have been positively impacted upon by accessing information in their languages. Support at the Health Information Shop, We also had a Focus group last month and participants indicated that this project could help and improve their confidence, understanding of health.
This is the initiave in partnership with key people in Karachi, Pakistan to work to empower children through education. We also work with people who wants to support needy people in Pakistan by donation.
The Co-ordinator for Pakistan is MR Hilal Khan Tel: 03102238439