Nottingham connected
Community
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THE ANGOLAN WOMEN VOICE ASSOCIATION UK By Angela Wathoni
The Angolan Women Voice Association UK is a nonprofit charitable organization which is based in Nottingham and is pioneered by three Angolan women leaders in the Portuguese speaking community: Paula Pontes, Tania Tavares, and Ana Camacho all of whom live in Nottingham. Paula has been on the forefront in the quest to help these new and emerging communities easily settle down in Nottingham.
The Thursday session is for the seniors, 50 years and above, starting from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. As elders and people who would like to exchange pleasantries and increase their networks, the first hour is dedicated to a meet and greet session. This is a moment they enjoy and would easily transition from jokes and banter to the second hour when they are engaged with knitting, crochet, sewing and other forms of household activities.
Paula Pontes is a volunteer for Mojatu Foundation with keen interest in women affairs and issues affecting new and emerging communities. She helps in signposting service providers and offer support to these vulnerable people in the areas of interpretation, guidance, and integration.
The third hour serves as a teamwork for them to organise and coordinate their activities for the following week. Before they disperse, they check on each other’s wellbeing and mental health, and whether anyone needs support or guidance. They also use this hour to plan their field trips and mobilise resource to fund the activities.
With Paula’s intervention, the association was able to secure a place provided by Mojatu Foundation at Marcus Garvey in the Lenton Business Centre. According to Paula, the association runs two major activities for Angolan women, mothers and children at the centre geared towards supporting them in tackling problems of loneliness, mental health and post-Covid trauma.
Paula revealed that they have been facing challenges in identifying the right people needed during the initial stages the project but now they are growing, and the project is spreading by word of mouth and social media. She said these activities are key to the postCovid recovery for the elders and mothers who struggle with the family chores and bringing up their kids. Paula however said that the provision of refreshments and snacks are self-generated through contribution from participants and parents of the kids.
The kids’ activity is held every Saturday from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and brings together children from the ages of 0-14. They come along with their parents and during the three-hour session that they are kept busy, their parents will be having a coffee time. This coffee time serves as a She regrettably mentioned that “even our day field moment of discussion, networking and sharing interesting events to other cities within the Midlands are selfand pertinent issues surrounding family and life. sponsored and this where we are really struggling because it would mean that if a Senior doesn’t have While their parents continue on their conversations, money at that moment, she would not be turning up the kids engage themselves with the support team and that is not good for their mental health.” She said on painting, drawing and other artistic things for the they are soliciting for funding from donor agencies, first hour. Teaching them Portuguese takes the second philanthropists, and the general public. hour because for this group, their language serves as identity to them and transmitting it to the children is Social media handles of Angolan Women Voice: significantly paramount. The kids are allowed to choose Instagram: @ Angolanwomenvoiceassociationuk, what to do in the third hour with activities ranging form Facebook: @ AngolanWomenVoiceAssociationUK playing games, dancing, sports among other.
