We are all human
Advocacy & Assistance
with
Refugee & Migrant Women
We empower women to understand their rights, helping themselves; when documented and undocumented
What We Do
Raising Awareness
We are all human, with skills and dreams.
We raise awareness of the different forms of exploitation and discrimination affecting refugee and migrant women and support them to find a fulfilling ways to live life. Our aims are to find ways to influence positive social change so that issues are prevented from repeating. contribute to the national NGO coalitions including Sisters not Strangers and Lift the Ban Campaign. We want to end detention and destitution, and actively work with partners on these issues. See our Research and Policy and Networking pages for newsletters and reports.
Sharing & Learning Knowledge
Knowledge and experience on important issues is shared through social media, at meetings, training, research & events working with, local and migrant groups, universities, as well as extensive voluntary sector and statutory sector.
Baobab is a member of various groups, including Women in Refugee Law (WiRL), Asylum Support Advise Network (ASAN), Coventry Migrant Women’s Houses and the Coventry Night Shelter Projects. We regularly attend the Hope Projects Steering Group, various regional NRPF, asylum and WMSMP networks, and the West Midlands Migration Forum. When capacity allows we engage with Birmingham based Health and Homelessness Forums. All these arena’s share knowledge among practitioners within statutory, private and voluntary sector service providers to improve services for people who need them.
Specialist advocates, supported by interpreters when needed, provide assistance to undocumented migrants, asylum seekers as well as newly settled refugees and migrants.
They connect women to organisations that can help if we cannot. Our main areas of casework are legal, health and welfare support.
Our policy influencing uses recent examples of situations women face from our casework, to document and suggest recommendations for change. This informs and improves practice of policy makers.
Our influencing team, led by and involving experts through experience work with partners to shine a light on policies in practice.
We have a Community Research partnership with CIRC (Community Interest Research Centre), Birmingham University, IRiS, Brushstrokes, Women’s Wellness, AIM Qualifications and Assessment Group and Maokwo.
Researchers gain new skills, and play a crucial role in project teams across all aspects of integration.
Psychotherapy, Counselling, and Life Coaching sessions are offered by qualified therapists on a limited basis to women we assist. Advocates get self-care funds to relieve vicarious trauma.
We have produced a well-being toolkit which women accessing help are encouraged to use.
We regularly connect women to external talking therapy support from partner organisations.
We casework to assist forced migrant, destitute women with NRPF, referring directly to charities that provide legal help, accommodation and subsistence funds.
Partners include Hope Projects and Fatima House, Coventry Night Shelter, Coventry Migrant Womens Houses (CMWH) and BCU Law Clinic. Our partners rely on us to refer to them and casework with women to help them administrate legal cases and move out of destitution.
Our services are governed and delivered by a majority of women from the communities we assist. Our influencer group brings women together in solidarity to raise their voices to encourage positive social change. Past actions have created film and books.
We connect to the Women with Hope group, often encouraging women to access sessions for social activities, to feel supported and make friends.
Research, Training and Events
We write research on issues affecting women, run events and provide training
Read our response to the BBC News that '‘Migrants Making False Domestic Abuse Claims to stay in the UK’, written by Sarah, edited, improved and approved by our Influencing Team. The women we work with did not come to this country to exploit a system. They came to survive, grow and live.
Annual Reports
Our partners
Our funders
