‘Life feels better now I can turn to Ayesha for help’
The tears rolling down Fatuma’s face wouldn’t stop. She was 23, an orphan, a refugee from Burundi, and the sole provider for her siblings who were just 13, 12 and seven. Their mother had died from breast cancer in Kenya seven months previously; now they were trying to make a fresh start in the UK.
“When we arrived at our new home in Bury, we were crying,” says Fatuma, now 27. “Nothing looked familiar.”
Fatuma is still the sole carer for her siblings, as well as her 12-month-old baby. “It’s been hard,” she admits. “I’ve struggled to feed them.”
Thankfully, though, Fusion Food Bank, a National Lottery-funded project established by the Bury Asian Women’s Centre (BAWC), led by Ayesha Arif, learned of Fatuma’s problems and began to deliver monthly food parcels.
“I first met Fatuma four years ago and I’ve supported her over that time,” says Ayesha. “When Covid hit she was already struggling, but starting Fusion meant I could help her with the food she and her family desperately needed.”
“I set it up with £10,000 of National Lottery funding, to help people who are struggling,” she explains.
“I noticed when coronavirus began that many families were receiving food that was culturally unsuitable, often they would have food that they couldn’t eat because it wasn’t Halal.”
Fusion supports some 60 families, including those with specific requirements, with monthly food parcels. Ayesha has also set up online exercise classes including yoga and mindfulness. “It helps their mental health,” she says. “The women needed a space to talk or laugh with someone.”
Fatuma credits Ayesha with supporting her with everything from giving her the bus fare to get to her dentist to setting up counselling when she was really struggling, as well as providing food.
“Life feels better now,” says Fatuma. “I can turn to Ayesha. And if she can’t help, she’ll find someone who can.”