My journey to this point has been marked by challenges, perseverance, and a relentless drive to make a difference in the lives of those who, like me, have sought refuge in the United Kingdom.

As an asylum seeker, I experienced first-hand the myriad difficulties associated with integration into a new community: from racial discrimination to cultural misunderstandings, the path to assimilation was fraught with obstacles that often seemed insurmountable. I had a mental break-down at this point and struggled to navigate mental health services, and when I volunteered for Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre, I witnessed refugees experiencing similar challenges.

Experiencing and witnessing these challenges in others inspired me to establish www.inini.co.uk. Drawing upon my own experiences, as well as the struggles faced by countless others in similar circumstances, I sought to create a support network aimed at empowering this cohort to navigate the complexities of their new environment with confidence and resilience.

At Inini Initiative Ltd, our mission is simple yet profound: to provide refugees with the tools, resources, and guidance they need to not only survive, but thrive in their adopted homeland. We specialise in reaching and supporting individuals who often fall through the gaps of mainstream organisations. In our community, there exists a significant segment of individuals who, for various reasons, do not seamlessly fit into the frameworks established by traditional service providers. Through a combination of creative activities, advocacy, information sharing, and community outreach efforts, we strive to address the multifaceted needs of our diverse clientele, helping them to build meaningful connections, gain economic independence, and ultimately, become active contributors to society.

As I reflect on the journey that has led me to this moment, I am filled with a profound sense of gratitude to the countless volunteers, funders, and community partners who have supported our cause: to the refugees who have entrusted us with their hopes and dreams and to the UK government that offered me refuge.

One of Inini’s offerings is a weekly peer support group that provides a safe space for our clients to share their experiences and seek emotional support from others in similar situations, who understand the challenges of immigration and integration. We believe that the challenges faced by this cohort does not emanate from a lack of solutions on their part, but a lack of power to implement them. Hence, by sharing information someone can get a solution to their problem. In the peer support group, we also provide training in healthy social skills, including on how to cope with distressing situations, and give information on services available and how they can be accessed. In addition, various professionals come in to deliver workshops on different areas of their speciality.

The impact of our work has been profound, touching the lives of countless individuals and families who might otherwise have languished on the margins of society. From individuals with refused asylum gaining enough confidence to gather new evidence and resubmitting their applications with a positive outcome, to homeless, undocumented individuals experiencing mental illness being housed under Section 117, the stories of transformation that have emerged from our endeavours serve as a testament to the power of compassion, solidarity, and shared humanity. The experiences of working with this group has also led to my own personal growth. I am now concluding a self-financed PhD study, investigating how the challenges of integration influence decisions to seek help for Black communities an idea that came to me after seeing how this cohort struggles to engage with mental health services.

In addition to my work within the social enterprise, I also collaborate closely with grassroots and mainstream organisations to amplify the voices of this refugees and advocate for systemic change. My collaborative efforts have fostered meaningful partnerships and initiatives aimed at addressing structural inequalities and promoting social inclusion. Listed below are some of the initiatives I am part of:

I am the Independent Chairperson of the Coventry and Warwickshire Mental Health Alliance, a network of VCSE organisations and groups working together to improve communication and collaboration across the sector, as well as influence cross sector decision makers, and developing a funding vehicle into the VCSE sector.
I am a founding member of the Coventry and Warwickshire Cultural Inclusion Network, an initiative bringing together VCSE grassroots organisations from and serving global majority populations. The network provides a platform to strengthen the positions of these organisations through raising opportunities to represent them in key strategic meetings/boards, building relationships between both voluntary and public sector organisations, and increasing resource opportunities to reduce health inequalities for these communities.
I am a member of the Coventry Healthwatch Steering Group which explores the experiences of individuals needing or using public health and social care services and challenge services whose delivery performance is not satisfactory.
I am a member of the Mental Health Act Detentions Steering Group, chaired by the NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust (CWPT) whose membership include representatives from West Midlands Police, Coventry City Council and NHS England, which seeks to understand the disproportionate use of this legislation in the detention of individuals of Black heritage.
I am a member of the West Midlands Police Key Individual Network, a network of people that represent identified communities on issues of safety and wellbeing in their communities.
I am a member of the Coventry and Warwickshire Multi-Agency Migration Network, a network of organisations working with refugee/migrant communities across Coventry and Warwickshire.
I am a co-founder of the Coventry Asylum and Refugee Action Group Social Housing, an initiative that supports homeless individuals with No Recourse to Public Funds access housing.

As I reflect on the journey that has led me to this moment, I am filled with a profound sense of gratitude to the countless volunteers, funders, and community partners who have supported our cause: to the refugees who have entrusted us with their hopes and dreams and to the UK government that offered me refuge.

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