Odara, is in many ways, like Narnia. Inside a somewhat ordinary looking building and behind a humble Aysha and her team, there is not only a visual extravaganza, but an environment with such depth, that you quickly come to understand that if you are a woman in need, nothing is too much trouble.
As a team of 5, we were not given a specific task, but were given areas which Aysha felt we may be able to help, predominantly relating to referrals to her service. These referrals are either self-referrals or referrals from other agencies and although at present they are low in number, the number of women signposted towards Odara for help is rapidly increasing. Therefore, we decided to focus on developing a referral system that was quick, thorough, safe, effective and sustainable.
The only noteworthy challenge that I faced throughout the project were difficulties with communication between the team and Odara. As a team, we found it incredibly frustrating when communication was fractured or a flow of productive planning was lost. I also had in internal battle because I felt it morally wrong to me to keep chasing, to throw my spare time at something. I don’t have spare time. However, from a personal perspective, and as challenging as it can be, I feel incredibly fortunate that my experiences of being a very active volunteer allowed me to view a bigger picture. I know that behind the scenes there are multiple group chats going on, all dealing with different things, and that more often than we’d like, a case comes in at “anti-social” hours, I know that even if the physical problem is being handled, there are a multitude of other aspects of an individual case that need to be dealt with, and then there is a whole new arena of issues when trying to fund these kind of services. I know that a “day off” is never a day off. For this reason, it we very impossible to remain frustrated. You can clearly see a little lady (who is clearly more than capable) and her modest team, taking on huge issues and it’s evident that they live and breathe their cause. Without this insight, I’m not convinced that I would have continued with the project. Regardless, the team managed to overcome this and repeatedly bounced back to produce exactly what we set out to produce and I feel very blessed to have worked alongside a group of feisty, determined and graceful young women. Not only is this what the Up Our Streets project is set out to uncover, but it is precisely in line with Odara’s philosophy; women, working together, overcoming hurdles, to help other women.
If I’d have been asked during the project if I’d ever do another, I’m fairly confident it would have been a “no”, but now, looking back at how well everything came together and how successful the outcome was, and how much I admire the organisation, I probably would do it again. I wouldn’t recommend adding the project to an already heavy workload, but it’s certainly a wonderful opportunity, for example, over the summer period and I would genuinely be delighted to continue working with Aysha and Odara. On reflection, I can see an organisation that is an open book. It is exactly what you see. It’s sometimes a little chaotic, but so are the lives of those using the service. Nobody asks for help because their lives are ticking over nicely and I think that is the primary motivator here. It’s team are genuine, friendly, accommodating, non-judgemental, funny and exactly what is needed if we are going to keep integration progressing. They are just ordinary Muslim women, doing extraordinary things and I’m incredibly lucky to have been allowed to play a part in that.