Our Services
Welcome to ASWAC
Our Services
We offer a range of services for Somali women and children in response to local need including:
• Advice and Advocacy for Somali Women and Children
We formerly offered an advice and advocacy service three days a week at an office based in Bedford House in Balham. Now we are based in Battersea. This service helps women deal with issues such as health, housing, education, welfare rights, money and legal matters. Our staffs are all bilingual Somali women and we work closely with numerous partners in other agencies to ensure our clients received the best possible help and support to meet their needs.
• Outreach Support
We offer outreach support to vulnerable women, for instance, those experiencing problems with their housing, poor health, mental illness, or social isolation. Our staff/volunteers can visit women in their homes and work with them to solve their problems, reduce their isolation and improve their well-being; for instance, putting them in touch with appropriate support services, giving advice on activities and resources available to them in the community, enabling them to take part in ASWAC activities, supporting them to integrate into the community as they choose.
• Groups and Classes
We offer education sessions, groups and classes on a range of topics as need arise. For instance in the past we have offered a programme of health sessions covering topics such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, mental well being, family planning and healthy eating, and in 2007 we offered an ESOL class.
• Community Events and Consultations
As funding allows we try to organise regular community events to give Somali women and their families the opportunity to meet and develop friendship networks. These events range from cultural and social functions to health fayres and summer outings. We use these events, which bring together our service users, staff team and management committee, as platforms to consult with and engage our service users in our work and decision-making processes.
• Opportunities for Volunteering
We offer Somali women opportunities to be actively involved in the work of our project through volunteering. All our volunteers are trained and supported to develop their confidence and skills through their work with us.
