Some of my favourite organisations are the ones that have created a place for their community to come and be together, not just a sense of community that sometimes feels intangibly connected, but one that exists on a daily basis, accessible to anyone who needs to find strength and support within it.
When we first visited the building where the Afghan & Central Asian Association [ACAA] is based, the first thing you see is a huge social space and a kitchen. I’ve now seen this space transform to host everything from cultural events with live music performances and dance to language classes and CV writing workshops. The theme of women’s empowerment appears to be the driving force of so many of the activities ACAA invests in.
I was raised by a Yugoslav mother who taught English as a foreign language to women, like my mother, who were seeking to build a better life in a new country. As a child I would pretend to be ill so my mother would take me to work with her. I loved watching her teach and watching all the women learn, seeing how their confidence would build overtime and maybe subconsciously I learned about the importance of communication and how hard it can be as an adult to find yourself in a foreign land. ACAA reminded me a lot of those memories and we’ve now worked with them on several projects including International Women’s Day campaigns.
We photographed portraits and captured stories of Afghan women who had recently fled their nation to find refuge elsewhere. These images and stories were presented at the Palace of Westminster and at the Royal Albert Hall, events that showcase the rich contribution that refugee and asylum-seeker women can bring to life in the UK.
RECENT ACTIVITY
