Nisaa community work wins commission praise
A PROJECT that helped bridge ethnic divides in Middlesbrough and encourage women from minority groups to take advantage of training and job opportunities, has won praise from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
The Nisaa project, based at Teesside University takes its name from the Arabic word for women.
It used funding from the Government and Europe to help women band together to develop their own ambitions and interests.
Working though mixed-race community groups, it then tailor-made training courses at the university to embrace the needs of both white and Asian women.
Nisaa director Professor Eileen Green said: “Carrying out action research in the community was very worthwhile.
“It is not just academic, it is political and person-centred partnership work, which has actively supported women from different backgrounds to access opportunities that were not available before.”
Salma Castle, Nisaa's community development manager added: “A number of women ended up making more informed choices and developing skills to the extent that they wanted to work and achieve.”
The project drew praise from the chair of the Commission, Trevor Phillips.
He said: “Projects like this are bringing communities together and tackling issues faced by some of the people encountering the greatest inequalities.”
