Local Hayes Town Councillor, Janet Gardner, recently contacted Stockley Park Estates Company Ltd (SPECL) to see if we could assist the Hillingdon Somali Women’s Group, with sourcing a printer. SPECL has been able to purchase a new Epson printer and ink cartridges and was able to donate to the charity in July 2023.
“Thank you, and Hillingdon Somali Women’s Group is very grateful to the Stockley Park Estates Company Ltd. for helping us with the printer”. – Fowsiya, HSWG
About Hillingdon Somali Women’s Group
Hillingdon Somali Women’s Group is a small charity limited by guarantee, with its Company and Charity Numbers being 4427133 and 1094574, respectively. It is a women-led organisation incepted in 1995 by three refugee Somali women whose drive to take on this daunting mission was necessitated by the host of difficulties they personally encountered upon arriving in Britain as refugee mothers with young children.
The increasing numbers of Somali and other BAME families settling in the borough, most of them in need of help, advice, and support in coping with and overcoming various complex barriers and issues presented by their new life in the new country, gave the venture an even greater impetus.
The objective of this group is to strategically empower the Somali community and BME in general, but families in particular, that live in the London Borough of Hillingdon and its surrounding areas through the provision of substantial advice, advocacy, and related support services to supplement or link them with mainstream services and facilitate their overall integration into society.
Services and Activities
The organisation has been providing many different activities at different venues including:
- Provision of a safe space for women to meet and provide mutual support
- Drop-in advice service.
- Online Application form and scan documents, creating email accounts.
- Organisation of training courses for English language, digital skills etc. (subject to availability of funding to engage professional trainers)
- Help in applying for training and further education courses at Uxbridge College and other locations.
- Assistance in applying for jobs including help with drawing up CVs and completing applications.
- Translation and interpreting services to support clients and assist service providers such as schools and the NHS
- Assistance in applying for services and benefits including help with scanning of documents and completion of applications,
- Advocacy on behalf of individuals in cases of dispute
- Referral of clients to specialist organisations to deal with domestic abuse, mental health problems
- Handling of cases referred to us by a range of organisations including the Council, CAB and Job Centre benefit centre and university credit online application
- London council, Change of details, lost, stolen or damaged freedom passes Bus for elderly and disability people
- Shopping for elderly and disabled people
- Booking appointments for hospital and GP
- Contact law centre.
The services are delivered using the appropriate cultural, social, and language formats.
HSWG run Basic Skills training, comprising ESOL and IT courses, on a continuing basis for Somali and other BAME women. This is structured to make the training progressive and accredited from Entry 1 to Entry Level 3 in collaboration with our existing and new course-providing partners.
