Bradford based women’s organisation, Women Zone, are celebrating their 20-year anniversary, marking 20 years of empowering and helping women in Bradford, majority of whom come from South Asian community.
Formed by a group of women in February 2003, in Bradford moor, one of the most deprived areas of the city, with an aim to address some disadvantages that the women of the area faced.
The organisation faced a lot of challenges opening, especially regarding the fundings. However, slowly Women Zone became self-sufficient, as it progressed.
By 2005, Women zone was able to create its physical centre, with a gym, steam room, creche, kitchen and leisure space, all of which they created using funds they received from Big Lottery Fund, Sure Start and Regen 2000.
Challenges began in 2007 once again when the community centre was on a verge of closing down.
Sadia Sajid, co-CEO, Women Zone says “When I joined in 2007, when I was interviewed, I was asked to join the organisation for three months to support closing it down, because of lack of funding. A lot of staff had left, then I was employed to support Rubina Khalid, who is currently the co-CEO, to close the centre down”.
“I asked them a question, if we bring in funding, what happens then, the board said, if you bring in funding, you have got yourself a job, so for the last 15 years, I support the organisation to bring in funding to support, not just for our roles, but also for 15 more members of the staff, so the main challenge when I started, was bringing in funding, to support projects”
“Funding is one of the biggest challenges, because often we get small portions of money, and the bigger money gets distributed to the big organisations, and small organisations then struggle to bring money”.
Image: Women Zone
Challenges weren’t just limited to funding; a bigger challenge awaited the organisation until 2020.
The organisation kept it doors open for every woman, in the area and its neighbourhood, for 17 years, until Covid struck.
Covid was the first time, doors had to be shut and with it came a challenge of virtual and digital marketing. It was in 2020, the organisation took a virtual route and indulged in weekly online meetings, which carried a lot of online activities.
During Covid, the organisation also involved itself in charity as well, distributing food packets, to those vulnerable and struggling in Bradford. For this initiative, they were supported by firms like Morrisons.
“On Friday, 23 March 2020, we closed our doors to public,” Sadia recalls.
“Although we closed our doors, we didn’t close out services, we started a support service over the telephone, for anyone who had suffered a loss during Covid”.
“We also started door-step deliveries of hot meals, we have got a number of older women who live by themselves and at that time even family members weren’t allowed to visit, so we did doorstep deliveries of meals and other things, we would deliver packages”.
“We also did a number of zoom sessions, the tricky thing was to tell people how to download zoom, remotely, we would again do that through the doorstep, they would have their phone, and we used to tell them how they could download it”.
“Slowly, our services became digital, which at the time was difficult but now has supported us in the long run, through the hybrid model of working”.
“We also did a lot of exercise on zoom, we also did a lot of fun activities, where families would send in videos, of exercising in the living room or backyard, just to encourage and motivate others”.
“So, if you see me saying Table tennis, you can think ‘oh I never thought of that, that’s something I must do”, she acclaims.
“We were doing everything to help the wellbeing of our community” Sadia says.
“We gave out thousands of food parcels, which we still do, due to the cost-of-living crisis, affecting everyone”.
“I think over the years, ever since I started, it’s the volunteers who have supported us”.
For many of the members in Women zone, English isn’t the first language.
“We had an influx of Afghani families, and one of the first things they need to do is to attend classes for English, so we run sessions for them which are led by our volunteers, who are trained to do so”.
The organisation, to solve this problem, emphasises more on talking English rather than writing English, now.
The organisation continues to do fun activities like sangeet or games regularly.
Speaking of milestones, Sadia adds, “The biggest milestone has been to continue what we do, despite the challenges, we have completely changed during Covid, we have continued running and that’s the biggest strength of the organisation.”
Finally speaking of the plan, Sadia concludes “We plan to extend the lease of the building, the applications due since 2018, it’s a very slow process. Once we get the lease renewed, we plan to completely refurbish the building to make it more welcoming.
