Voices From The Frontline: Grassroots Campaigning

“With the support of Rosa, we’ve been able to extend the message of our Help a Friend campaign to women in our community who don’t speak English as a first language. Our posters were translated into four languages and we created new artwork that represents our target communities with diverse skin tones, dress styles and ages. We were able to print 10,200 posters and postcards and have our 10 translated domestic abuse information cards updated with the correct signposting. Website accessibility is vital for us, so we used some of the funding to have our website content translated for the next 12 months. Diversity and inclusion are more important now than ever. This grant allowed us to send a strong message to women in our community who don’t speak English that they’re valued and local services are here for them. So far, we’ve worked with 10 key partners to distribute 3,000 resources to local women. The work has only just begun. Our aim is to make these resources a core part of our distribution.”

— Equation

“The asylum process doesn’t work for women and we want to change that. We used our Voices from the Frontline grant to set up meetings with MPs and the Home Office and create 1,000 leaflets to share our message with as many people as we can. The leaflets explained the asylum process and the rights of women who experience it. Talking to local MPs meant we could explain in detail how the asylum process works right now and how it needs to change. Snap elections halted our meetings with three Scottish MPs, but we did meet with a representative from the Home Office who engaged with our work. The asylum-seeking and refugee women we support are now less nervous and better informed about their rights, too.”

— Refugee Women’s Strategy Group

“Showcasing the stories of sex workers in Leeds helped us to challenge the stigmas these women face, ultimately helping to improve their wellbeing. We co-produced a booklet made up of 12 stories from sex workers, each told in a safe, anonymous and engaging way. The intention was to challenge stigmas around sex work and give professionals a better understanding of what sex workers deal with each day. This, in turn, encourages people to put aside their judgements and preconceptions, which means sex workers are more inclined to use services for support.”

— Basis Sex Work Project

“Muslim women and girls need female sports role models and they need to be in control of their own narratives. We formed our All-Star Muslim Women’s basketball team to help achieve that. We used the grant to create a promotional video that showcased the team and the players’ talent, which was picked up by Reuters TV and the BBC. The players were given a platform and became ambassadors for their grassroots community. It helped them to build the confidence to talk to the media and influence their communities to take part in physical activity.

Rebranding, rethinking our strategy, and recruiting a diverse board have helped us to quickly develop as an organisation. Funding also meant we could invest in a media and communications officer and develop our social media presence, which ultimately helps us get the message out quicker and clearer. The work we’ve accomplished as a result of the grant helped to raise our profile in the third sector, developing our organisation to a point of influencing local government authorities. We now have a strong social media presence across platforms and, as a result, we’ve made amazing connections with other organisations and media outlets. Once Covid-19 allows, we’re excited to start working on a few exciting things with these new MWSF friends.”

— Muslim Sports Foundation