Sandwell African Women Association
(b)Community Development Programme:
Under this programme, SAWA gives African refugee women, asylum seekers and girls a voice and chance to express themselves and represent the needs and aspirations of their communities. There are a number of activities being carried out under this programme:
1.Sewing & Tailoring Training Club
2.Job Club
3.Internet Cafe
4.Cookery Club
5.Drop-in Centre (which provides tailored one-to-one debt and financial management support including budgeting skills.
The support package includes:
1) General help with claiming benefits, dealing with debts and applying for support in hardship situations
2) Responding to benefit and debt enquiries and help to apply for and resolve issues relating to: Job Seekers’ Allowance, Employment Support Allowance, Income Support, Child Benefit, Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit, etc.
(c)Health Advocacy Programme
The main area of support under this programme is the provision of Volunteer advocacy to help African refugee women and girls to settle and for African women asylum seekers and refugees to access health and social care services. The programme promotes mental health and sexual health services to service users through community-based one-to-one and group sessions and outreach projects.
Projects currently being delivered:
1.Support services to victims of Sexual Exploitation
2. Befriending Club to provide services (including advice, free information, outreach advice, etc) to isolated refugee older women
3.Community Sport Project to Keep Women and Children Active
4.Domestic violence awareness
5.Campaign against Feminine Genital Mutilations (FGM).
What We Do
SAWA has a range of activities:
(a)Advice & Support (Information, Advice and Guidance on Education, Training and Employment)
We provide advice, guidance and counselling in confidence to African refugee women with access to the widest range of education, health, employment, and cultural opportunities. We do this at our office and on an outreach basis.
We offer advice on:
•English Language Courses (ESOL)
•Rights and Entitlements
•Professional Re-qualification
•Access to further and higher education
•Support with legal and money matters
•We also assist clients who cannot get their children accepted by schools.
(d)Refugee and Migrants Forum
This programme gives a voice to African women refugees and asylum seekers to influence decision makers and policy makers through networking with other women refugee groups.
A number of activities are being carried out under this programme:
1.After School Club to Support Children and Young People with Behavioural Problems
2.Befriending Coffee Club to deliver classes on the use of Internet for the 50+ refugee women and asylum seekers from French speaking countries
3.Homeless Support
4.Arts
5.Debts awareness and money management
6.Holiday Play Scheme for children and Young people
7.Community social events to reduce isolation, etc.
SAWA provides community support services to the most disadvantaged and vulnerable BME migrant women and children living in the most deprived wards of Sandwell in West Midlands. The group has 4 main programmes: Advice & Support; Community Development; Health & Wellbeing and Refugees & Migrant Forum.
Sewing & Tailoring Training Club
The organisation runs a number of activities on a regular basis:
Drop-in Centre (Advice, support & guidance)
Befriending Internet Coffee Club
Job Club
Cookery Club
Homework Club & Multi-sports Club
Awareness raising campaigns
