Updates
Imkaan Announcement
Imkaan Announcement
Imkaan is thrilled to announce the appointment of Mary Clarke (left) and Ghadah Alnasseri (right) as the new Co-Executive Directors of Imkaan.
Mary is a social activist with a long history of using legal systems, compliance rules and collaborative approaches to bring about fundamental change for communities and organisations. With over 30 years experience of the voluntary and community sector, 15 of those in leadership roles, Mary has supported hundreds of charities with free community resources, advice, and consultancy. Mary has both challenged and led local commissioners and policy makers, successfully, to improve public services to benefit vulnerable people. She has managed multi-million pound charities and has a history of initiating collaborative funding bids resolutely focused on improving grassroots services, particularly for Black and minoritised communities. Before joining Imkaan, she held senior roles at UNICEF, where she worked on International Aid packages totalling £50 million; and at Citizens Advice as a Chief Officer managing complex, multi-site services, including VAWG services. She has consistently been elected by her peers to chair local, regional, and national multi-agency networks.
Mary is a first generation university graduate from a welfare benefits-dependent family, of mixed Jamaican and English heritage, with lived experience of VAWG, racism, and discrimination. She uses her survivor status to empower and enable others, whilst holding powerful institutions to account, as a critical friend, an activist and when necessary, an adversary.
Mary says: “This is a critical time in the sector where specialist Black by and for services are increasingly threatened, yet there are opportunities to transform our organisations and those institutions tasked with delivering democracy and social justice. Together with my co Director, the trustees, and staff, I will help Imkaan to resume its leadership of the Black and minoritised VAWG by and for sector, amplify the voices of Black and minoritised women and girls, and help end gender based violence”.
Ghadah is an accomplished strategic leader with a deep commitment to advancing the rights and wellbeing of Black and minoritised and migrant women and girls. Her diverse professional journey of over 15 years has equipped her with the expertise required to implement strategies, achieve organisational cultural change, and build relationships with various stakeholders within immigration, criminal justice and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) sectors. Her track record of successfully securing and managing multi-million programs funded by institutions in different regions such as the UK, Europe, Middle East and North Africa and Latin America showcases her ability to manage complex challenges and deliver impactful outcomes nationally and internationally.
Her commitment to ending violence against women and girls, tackling inequality, and addressing intersectional needs of Black, ethnic and minority women align with Imkaan's mission. She brings an in-depth understanding of violence faced by Black and minoritised women and girls, along with the structural barriers that increase these challenges. This understanding has been gained through her lived experience in migration and VAWG, as well as her work in different humanitarian and international development organisations and global voluntary networks across different contexts and regions.
Before joining Imkaan, Ghadah has successfully led Hibiscus Initiatives’ policy and influencing work with a focus on reforming legislations in relation to migrant women’s experiences in the criminal justice and immigration system. She was recently given an award for her work in campaigning, changing lives, and challenging narratives to empower both women and girls in the UK.
Ghadah says: “I am excited to join Imkaan as I admire the organisation's impactful work in amplifying the diverse voices of Black and minoritised women within the VAWG sector. I want to contribute significantly to implementing Imkaan’s mission to increase awareness and support for the rights of Black and minoritised women experiencing violence, often remaining underreported due to reasons such as fear, stigma, lack of awareness, or mistrust in the UK system. Black and minoritised women face gaps in legal frameworks and policies, and their complex, intersecting needs frequently go unmet, making it difficult for them to access specialised support. I am excited to be part of Imkaan's team and work with my co Director where we will engage on a strategic level to address these systemic challenges and foster systemic change in policies and practices that protect and support the rights of women experiencing violence”.
Anber Raz the Chair of Imkaans board says: “Over the past few years, and in particular, during and in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, we have seen a marked increase in the need for services that can offer support to Black and minoritised women and girls. Working against a backdrop of an epidemic of violence against women and girls and lack of trust in police responses, with an increasingly hostile political environment towards Black, minoritised and refugee communities, the need for the work of Imkaan and its member organisations has never been greater.
We are delighted to welcome two exemplary Co-Directors to join and lead Imkaan’s work. Both Mary and Ghadah bring with them the determination and heart of activists with a passion to ensure that the needs of Black and minoritised women and girls are not sidelined and that all women and girls are able to actualise a future free from violence and discrimination. As a Board of Trustees we look forward to working with them both and supporting them on this journey.”
January 2024
Imkaan's new Co Executive Directors
Imkaan's new Co Executive Directors
Imkaan is thrilled to announce the appointment of Mary Clarke and Ghadah Alnasseri as the new Co-Executive Directors of Imkaan.
Imkaan is thrilled to announce the appointment of Mary Clarke and Ghadah Alnasseri as the new Co-Executive Directors of Imkaan.
Imkaan is thrilled to announce the appointment of Mary Clarke (left) and Ghadah Alnasseri (right) as the new Co-Executive Directors of Imkaan.
Mary is a social activist with experience of using legal systems and compliance rules to bring about change for communities. With over 30 years experience of the voluntary and community sector, 15 of those in leadership roles, Mary has supported hundreds of charities with free community resources, advice, and consultancy. Mary has both challenged and led local commissioners and policy makers, successfully, to improve public services to benefit vulnerable people. She has managed multi-million pound charities and has a history of initiating collaborative funding bids resolutely focused on improving grassroots services, particularly for Black and minoritised communities. Before joining Imkaan, she held senior roles at UNICEF, where she worked on International Aid packages totalling £50 million; and at Citizens Advice as a Chief Officer managing complex, multi-site services, including VAWG services. She has consistently been elected by her peers to chair local, regional, and national multi-agency networks.
Mary is a first generation university graduate from a welfare benefits-dependent family, of mixed Jamaican and English heritage, with lived experience of VAWG, racism, and discrimination. She uses her survivor status to empower and enable others, whilst holding powerful institutions to account, as a critical friend, an activist and when necessary, an adversary.
Mary says: “This is a critical time in the sector where specialist Black by and for services are increasingly threatened, yet there are opportunities to transform our organisations and those institutions tasked with delivering democracy and social justice. Together with my co Director, the trustees, and staff, I will help Imkaan to resume its leadership of the Black and minoritised VAWG by and for sector, amplify the voices of Black and minoritised women and girls, and help end gender based violence”.
Ghadah is an accomplished strategic leader with a deep commitment to advancing the rights and wellbeing of Black and minoritised and migrant women and girls. Her diverse professional journey of over 15 years has equipped her with the expertise required to implement strategies, achieve organisational cultural change, and build relationships with various stakeholders within immigration, criminal justice and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) sectors. Her track record of successfully securing and managing multi-million programs funded by institutions in different regions such as the UK, Europe, Middle East and North Africa and Latin America showcases her ability to manage complex challenges and deliver impactful outcomes nationally and internationally.
Her commitment to ending violence against women and girls, tackling inequality, and addressing intersectional needs of Black, ethnic and minority women align with Imkaan's mission. She brings an in-depth understanding of violence faced by Black and minoritised women and girls, along with the structural barriers that increase these challenges. This understanding has been gained through her lived experience in migration and VAWG, as well as her work in different humanitarian and international development organisations and global voluntary networks across different contexts and regions.
Before joining Imkaan, Ghadah has successfully led Hibiscus Initiatives’ policy and influencing work with a focus on reforming legislations in relation to migrant women’s experiences in the criminal justice and immigration system. She was recently given an award for her work in campaigning, changing lives, and challenging narratives to empower both women and girls in the UK.
Ghadah says: “I am excited to join Imkaan as I admire the organisation's impactful work in amplifying the diverse voices of Black and minoritised women within the VAWG sector. I want to contribute significantly to implementing Imkaan’s mission to increase awareness and support for the rights of Black and minoritised women experiencing violence, often remaining underreported due to reasons such as fear, stigma, lack of awareness, or mistrust in the UK system. Black and minoritised women face gaps in legal frameworks and policies, and their complex, intersecting needs frequently go unmet, making it difficult for them to access specialised support. I am excited to be part of Imkaan's team and work with my co Director where we will engage on a strategic level to address these systemic challenges and foster systemic change in policies and practices that protect and support the rights of women experiencing violence”.
Anber Raz the Chair of Imkaans board says: “Over the past few years, and in particular, during and in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, we have seen a marked increase in the need for services that can offer support to Black and minoritised women and girls. Working against a backdrop of an epidemic of violence against women and girls and lack of trust in police responses, with an increasingly hostile political environment towards Black, minoritised and refugee communities, the need for the work of Imkaan and its member organisations has never been greater.
We are delighted to welcome two exemplary Co-Directors to join and lead Imkaan’s work. Both Mary and Ghadah bring with them the determination and heart of activists with a passion to ensure that the needs of Black and minoritised women and girls are not sidelined and that all women and girls are able to actualise a future free from violence and discrimination. As a Board of Trustees we look forward to working with them both and supporting them on this journey.”
January 2024
Great News!After a period of hiatus, Imkaan is moving forward. Growing stronger. Looking forward to stepping back into the spaces you need us to be in. Look out for our New Year’s Announcement!
Great News!
After a period of hiatus, Imkaan is moving forward. Growing stronger. Looking forward to stepping back into the spaces you need us to be in.
Look out for our New Year’s Announcement!
Listen to us! Communication Barriers: How statutory bodies are failing Black, Minoritised, Migrant, Deaf and Disabled Women & Girls Victims/Survivors of VAWG
The Communication Barriers Working Group is launching a new report. The report highlights how communication barriers negatively impact VAWG victims/survivors' experiences of safety and access to justice. The evidence provided by this work shows that victims/survivors with communication needs are more likely to be afraid to contact the police for fear of discrimination and violence.
A Participatory Evaluation of the Comic Relief Supporting and Sustaining Specialism Programme for the Black & Minoritised women-led by and for sector (2022-2023)
Imkaan conducted a participatory evaluation of Comic Relief’s Supporting and Sustaining Specialism Programme: a unique ring-fenced fund for specialist ending-VAWG B&M women-led by and for organisations supporting B&M women and girls.
Margin to Centre - Application Form
Imkaan has been funded by the Tampon Tax Fund to make onward grants to frontline Black and minoritised women and girls’ organisations committed to ending violence against women and girls (VAWG).
Women for Refugee and Women and Million Women Rise at the Refugees Welcome Rally
Prepping to support Imkaan member services and our sister organisations Women for Refugee and Women and Million Women Rise at the Refugees Welcome Rally organised by Women for Refugee Women
Upcoming Members Workshop on Black and minoritised children and young survivors
13th October 2021
If you’re an Imkaan member you can sign up for the first in a series of Imkaan workshops looking at the work that our member services are doing with Black and minoritised children and young survivors who continue …
Our Campaign against the Police Crime Sentencing and Courts Bill
We continue to campaign against the Police Crime Sentencing and Courts Bill which puts the lives of Black and minoritised women and girls at further risk.
“Levelling Up”: How do we regionally level up employment inequalities that Black and minoritised women face without investment in our sector?
As the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government adopts the title of Department of Levelling Up, we’ve been reflecting on critical services our national members provide regionally in areas that the government is ‘levelling up’. Imkaan’s member services know…
Executive Director Baljit Banga spoke at the 2021 international online WAVE Conference.
Imkaan’s Executive Director Baljit Banga spoke at the 2021 international online WAVE Conference ‘Breaking the cycle: preventing and tackling sexualised violence against women and children….
The Government must make a serious commitment to specialist Black and minoritised services in the Comprehensive Spending Review
Yesterday Imkaan submitted a letter signed by 33 of our Imkaan Member Services to the Government asking for a serious commitment to specialist Black and minoritised services in the Comprehensive Spending Review.
The Government must ‘level up’ the lives of Black and Minoritised Women.
Black and minoritised women’s employment has been stagnant for 30 years. Investing in specialist led by and for services creates more economic opportunities…
Anti-Racism Charter Desktop Launch
Today we supported the desktop launch of the Anti-Racism Charter for the VAWG sector. As part of the Anti-Racism Working Group Imkaan..
Our safety and our survival are not for sale. - Chaired by EVAW
Thankful to EVAW for the platform to speak about VAWG at the 2021 Labour Party Conference.
Our Response to the murder of Sabina Nessa
We are deeply saddened and upset about the murder of Sabina Nessa. Initially there was little media coverage or attention about her murder. The homicides/femicides of Black & minoritised women and girls must not continue to go unnoticed.
Women in Haiti : their struggle for autonomy and equality
The impact of Haiti’s earthquake will not be gender-neutral after two centuries of imperialism and economic exploitation, the lack of international response likewise is not ‘racially’ neutral.