The sisterhood providing a safe space for refugee women in Bristol
Reminiscing over a coffee in Baraka Community Café inside Easton Christian Family Centre, Layla Ismail speaks about her own journey and that of Refugee Women of Bristol, an organisation she co-founded in 2003
“We wanted to create that safe space for women to come together, share information and access services,” says Layla about the organisation that is multi-faith, multi-ethnic and run for and by women of refugee and asylum-seeking communities.
Layla initially launched Refugee Women of Bristol with the late Sue Njie. The charity has grown and developed over the years while staying true to its core values. Among its members are representatives from some 39 different nationalities.
Like many organisations, Layla and her team had to adapt fast to keep their services running through the pandemic and as part of this work, Refugee Women of Bristol has launched a brand new website that includes translations of information into different languages.
Layla explains the difficulties faced by women who arrive in a new country where they don’t speak the language, meaning things like accessing services and even getting on a bus can present a huge challenge.
Refugee Women of Bristol run English language courses, workshops, training and a creche, as well as advocacy, listening, befriending and signposting work. The women also celebrate each other’s cultures and traditions as part of an inclusive ethos.
Now based in Easton, Layla says many things have improved since she first came to the city in the mid-90s but there are also elements that have gotten worse.
“With the government’s hostile environment, people feel they can speak out if they have racist views now, it’s a new norm. We do not feel welcome here.”
It’s a sad effect of the government’s anti-immigration rhetoric but within Easton Christian Family Centre, Layla and her team are continuing to make a difference to hundreds of lives and champion inclusion and diversity.
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I’m a diversity consultant and a design and communications consultant. I help people and organisations develop vision, communicate and deliver cultural change.