Covid-19 Update
Due to the Covid-19 virus, we have closed our drop in advice Mondays at Elmwood Church until further notice. We are providing phone support to women and signposting to open centres with urgent issues. We hope to get back to our Jherico office for 1-1 appointments in July, and reopen the Drop in in August.
Doctors of the World Coronavirus (Covid 19) advice for patients in many languages, found here. The guidance is based on the government’s updated advice and health information.
What we do & how to access help
Baobab advocates give confidential advice and assistance to women on immigration, health, financial and housing issues. As well as information on other projects and services, colleges and support groups. We focus on undocumented and asylum seeking women, and help newly granted refugees and settled women access established community services. We prioritise women who have been affected by gender violence and trafficking.
Our trauma informed ethos is to engage women to learn about and navigate the system in a positive way, stand in their own power and draw on supportive people and networks. Practicing advocates have years experience and are working with newly qualified advocates, we are all developing casework skills. We work with community interpreters.
Complete our referral form to let us know about a woman that needs support, or women can come to the drop in.
Sarah Taal and Christine Whitehorn are both gender and trauma informed advocates with women who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. During Covid-19 Christine has been on furlough since March due to childcare responsibilities, Sarah was supporting women to find housing, and addressing issues women in precarious housing face due to this crisis, but has been on furlough since May. As soon as the Home Office or local Councils start evicting people, or we can get back in our offices / drop in we will reopen.
Training available, particularly focusing on homelessness and trauma informed approaches to finding solutions for women seeking protection and undocumented women and families with NRPF.
Help Refugees Charity Pot Award Phone and Emergency appointments only due to Covid-19
We are working with Help Refugees to continue our community advocacy work in 2020. Adding the Wisdom Factory funds, we were opening the drop in every week to support women and share knowledge. Due to the busyness of the drop in, we offer booked appt's & 3 drop in spaces weekly.
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Our advocates will build their skills, and work as a stronger team.
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We will deliver advocacy through drop in and 1-1 appointments.
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We will have one group a month, with food, for advocates to share their knowledge around casework with women accessing support, so they can learn and share experiences together - group summaries available here.
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We will get a new database to enable us to store and report on information more efficiently.
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Theres a few hours coordination time to organise activities.
Be Together, Change the World
Rosa, The UK Fund for Women and Girls
We are excited to have been chosen to get funding to run groups every 2 weeks, delivered by advocates with lived experience, to empower and inspire community women. The group will produce a photographic book to take to change makers.
We raise awareness of the different forms of exploitation and discrimination affecting refugee and migrant women and support them to find a positive ways to live life. Our aims are to find ways to influence positive social change so that issues are prevented from repeating. We have worked with local and national organisations on asylum accommodation standards, and contributed to the national NGO coalition to lift the ban, supported end detention campaigns and destitution initiatives, and attended the UN CEDAW - UK State review on violence against women in 2018-2019.
We share knowledge and experience on important issues through this website, twitter, meetings, training, research & events working with, local and migrant groups, universities, the voluntary sector and statutory sector.
Currently Baobab is a member of the ASAN Asylum Support Network, Hope Projects Destitution Group, the Regional Destitution Network Group, the Migration Forum, the West Midlands Anti Slavery Network and the Gender and Sexual Based Violence Community of Practice.
Akoko Isinmi - Relaxation Time
CURRENTLY ACUPUNCTURE SESSIONS ARE STOPPED DUE TO COVID-19, WE ARE CONTINUING TO OFFER PHONE SPACES TO THOSE STRUGGLING AT THIS DIFFICULT TIME
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Lottery Community Fund support our wellbeing activites.
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Monthly self-care meetings for advocates and interpreters to process the struggles of women they support and counter vicarious trauma.
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72 acupuncture sessions with travel expenses for women who have suffered violence and abuse.
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Travel and interpreter expenses for women accessing 72 counselling sessions.
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3 art workshops with member beneficiaries so they can feel supported and transfer worries into pictures.
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Bi-monthly group wellbeing activities.
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Bi-yearly advocate and volunteer group outings for volunteers.
