The 'MWA ESL/Support Group for Women' started out as an ESL group with the aim of teaching life skills. It soon evolved into a support group who come together weekly to meet, socialise, share food and engage in a myriad of activities, including: 

• Learning First Aid
• Sporting activities
• Running information sessions about housing, legal and health issues
• Art andcraft classes.

The group is co-ordinated by Sophia Katari who states:

“It was originally for Muslim women, but no longer. It was only meant for migrant women, but that too is no longer the case. I opened the doors to all women to allow them to better understand diversity and acceptance. The aim was to decrease social isolation, improve confidence and self-esteem”.

The ArtThink sessions have been positive for engaging the women in self expression and enhancing the sense of connection within the group. The art sessions have varied with the participants, starting out with drawing and painting. The individual paintings created by the women relate to their individual places of ‘happiness’.

As the group expanded so did the creative ideas and one of the women from the group Masooma Akther, taught us all to make these beautiful flowers which we painted and decorated individually. It was such a hit with the group that we kept going and the flowers kept growing!

Other women from the group have now started to offer their skills and we are learning new things each week.