The Mojatu Foundation supports, and is run by, people from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic backgrounds in Nottingham. ‘Mojatu’ loosely translates as ‘togetherness’ in Swahili and the charity is living up to its name by cultivating an inclusive community space alongside specialist support.
Angela Wathoni, Director of Operations, shares how funding and support from Lloyds Bank Foundation is helping to expand and strengthen their vital services and supportive community.
At the Mojatu Foundation we support a diverse range of people who often encounter prejudice and have their needs overlooked. This includes women and girls who have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM), asylum seekers and refugees, and people who are experiencing issues such as homelessness. We offer many different services including mental health support, vocational training programmes, community events, activity workshops and free immigration services. We also amplify the voices of people in our community and publicise our services through media – we publish our own magazine and have a podcast.
Many of the people we work with are facing multiple challenges that intersect – for example, a pregnant woman may have experienced FGM, and also be an asylum seeker. They may fear going to the hospital or accessing midwifery services. On top of that, they may not be able to speak English well or know what support is available to them. They may be very socially isolated and experiencing mental health problems. So being able to come into a welcoming community setting, feel safe and talk with someone in their own language can be extremely beneficial.
One of the pregnant ladies I worked with had experienced FGM, and she was very comfortable talking to me because she knew that I was Nigerian like her. So, there was immediately a cultural understanding and she knew that I understood from what she was saying that FGM has been performed. But she had a social worker and a midwife who didn't know what she was saying, so they couldn’t understand the implications. She was having sleepless nights, she felt she couldn’t really talk to anyone. So that cultural understanding is one of the benefits of working with people from the same background.
– Modupe Karen Akubor, Health and Wellbeing Specialist, Mojatu Foundation
We work holistically with each person who comes to us; if we can’t help them directly then we signpost them but continue to support them however we can. Above all, we want everyone who comes through the doors to feel welcomed and like they are part of one big happy family. The coffee morning drop-ins that we run attract so many different people, and most of them are just wanting to just to come in for a cup of tea and a chat and build community.
The funding from Lloyds Bank Foundation has had a huge impact, it has meant that we can open our doors to more people. For example, we now run our coffee mornings every Thursday, which is a relaxed space where people can come in and take part in various activities or just have a drink and a chat. If it weren't for the Lloyds Bank Foundation, we would not be able to have that. This sense of community is so valuable for the people we work with, who are often very socially isolated.
Before I came to the Mojatu Foundation, I was lonely and going through a lot of different issues. I’ve been able to get the support that I need here and found a community that has welcomed me, where I feel safe with my children. It’s absolutely changed my life. I have a group of people I can rely on who actually care about me. I feel that I matter.
– refugee supported by the Mojatu Foundation
We’ve also received valuable non-financial support from the Foundation which has been really instrumental in helping shape our business plan and our vision going forward as a team. A consultant worked with us to help us make a business plan, and everyone was able to give their input on the business plan which was really important in giving our staff a sense of ownership.
The Foundation also helped me connect with a mentor from Lloyds Banking Group I think both of us are trying to learn from one another and it’s been very good so far. I want to develop resilience in everything that I do as a manager here at the Mojatu Foundation. Being in management is not very easy. And sometimes you don't know what to do, and it's nice to be able to go to someone who can listen to you and maybe share a different perspective or something from their experience. It’s not a case of telling you what to do, but thinking about how we can move forward and finding solutions together.
Angela Wathoni, Director of Operations at the Mojatu Foundation, talks with Gary Beherrall, Regional Manager from Lloyds Bank Foundation
I came here for help with my housing situation. I get support with contacting different organisations like the city council because I can’t speak English well or understand the letters and forms. They help me with that. I’ve also started going to English lessons here. The staff here are helping me navigate my new life here in the UK.
– asylum seeker supported by the Mojatu Foundation
As a small charity, funding has always been an issue and now we are under even more pressure. The cost of living is rising every single day, and the minimum wage rising increases our staffing costs. Every day we strive to look at more ways that we can adapt and make sure that the services we provide have a way of selling themselves. But we don’t want to focus on the challenges – we just have to look at how we can find solutions, and making sure that we adapt to what is happening and making sure that the organisation is sustainable.
We took part in a charity response forum with Lloyds Banking Group which helped us to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that we face as an organisation. And then discussed how we can harness the opportunities and strengths that we have and build on them and improve in the areas that we are weak in. One of the most important things that came out of that was about marketing – about how we can market our services and show and not just tell people what we are doing. And that will help us attract more partners, sponsors and funders.
My hope for the future is to have a society where there is inclusivity so that all organisations providing services in a community can share their experience and expertise. In many cases the bigger charities in the city are given the funding, and they have the relationship and communication with the funders that the smaller charities don’t have. As a smaller charity, our expertise or value is not always recognised. But many people who have tried to get help at bigger charities end up coming to us for support and we have to step in and fill those gaps in services.
There also needs to be more communication between charities. There isn't much communication between the big charities and the small charities, even though we might be working with the same person. That gap needs to be reduced because we can help people more effectively if we collaborate.
At the Mojatu Foundation, we have a lot of exciting plans for the future, including setting up a community FGM clinic for pregnant women so that they are able to have an informal chat with midwives in a relaxed community setting where they feel safe. Ultimately, we want to welcome more people into our community, walk alongside them through challenges and see them thrive.
I struggled to find community here in the UK, especially people that speak the same language. But me and my family have been able to find a community here and that's been very helpful. Mojatu embraces different cultures and has a spirit of family where we can all be seen and understood.
– refugee supported by the Mojatu Foundation
Find out more about the Mojatu Foundation by visiting their website www.mojatufoundation.org
