EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES STAFF CELEBRATE AWARDS SUCCESS
Edinburgh, Sept xx - A scheme designed to celebrate the achievements of outstanding South Asian women in the Lothian area, has named two staff from the Equal Opportunities Programme funded by Trust, Hanover (Scotland) and Bield Housing Associations among the first winners of the ‘Women Empowered’ awards.
The awards, which were open to women of Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi origin, which were organised by Nari Kalyan Shangho (a health and welfare project for South Asian women and children in the Lothian area), were designed to showcase the success of women serving the community and to inspire a new generation of strong role models.
Neeru Bhatnagar, currently Older Peoples Services Co-ordinator with the Equal Opportunities Programme, was named as winner in the ‘Mentor’ award category in recognition of her work with mentors and mentees to support black and minority ethnic (BME) communities. The award also recognised her work with other community projects including her role as co-founder of The Indian Music and Dance Collective in Edinburgh.
Aisha Nadeem, a former employee of the Equal Opportunities Programme, was named as winner of the award for ‘Innovation and Dynamism’ for her work with the Programme’s pioneering project to help older people from black and minority ethnic communities. Aisha, former Pension Benefit Outreach Worker with the Programme, was praised for her work in helping ‘hard to reach’ BME older people to access pension benefits and other crucial services, enabling them to enjoy a better quality of life and boosting their self-esteem.
Trust, Hanover and Bield sponsored a Lifetime Achievement Award and the first recipient of this special award was Ghazala Farooq, the first Asian community worker in Edinburgh. Ghazala previously received an MBE for her services to the Pakistani community and was honoured by the House of Lords for her work with South Asian communities.
Rohini Sharma Joshi, who leads the Equal Opportunities Programme said: “ We are very proud of both Neeru and Aisha and congratulate them on their achievement in winning these prestigious awards. The Equal Opportunities Programme is committed to improving the lives of people from black and minority ethnic communities and the passion and dedication of the staff we employ is critical to our work.”
Naina Minhas, Project Co-ordinator for Nari Kallyan Shangho said: “ Our first awards have been a great success. There are many unsung heroines who represent strong role models for South Asian women in Scottish Society and it is important to mark their achievements. Our winners share a generosity of spirit, energy and commitment to making a positive difference to the lives of others in their communities.”
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NOTES TO EDITORS:
For further information contact the following:
PR For the Equal Opportunities Programme: Valerie Darroch mob 07970 737708 or email valdarroch@googlemail.com
Housing Equal Opportunities Manager: Rohini Sharma Joshi on tel 0131 444 1200 or email RSharma@trustha.org.uk
About the jointly-funded Equal Opportunities Programme:
Trust, Hanover (Scotland) and Bield Housing Associations set up a joint Equal Opportunities Programme ten years ago. The Edinburgh based team, which is headed by Housing Equal Opportunities Manager Rohini Sharma Joshi, has won numerous awards for its pioneering work to encourage and promote increased participation of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities in the housing sector. It has also made wider contributions to integrate BME people through the creation of multi-lingual aids to overcome language barriers such as the launch of a ‘Happy to Translate’ logo which is used by organisations including; the Scottish Housing Regulator, the Care Commission, Lothian & Borders Police and Health Services.
For more information on the Equal Opportunities Programme or the three housing associations which fund the programme please see the following websites:
Equality Scotland www.equalityscotland.com
Trust Housing Association www.trustha.org.uk
Hanover (Scotland) Housing Association www.hsha.org.uk
Bield Housing Association www.bield.co.uk