Centre worked hard to keep communities informed and connected during pandemic
RADIO STATION HELPED TO GET VACCINATION MESSAGE ACROSS
STAFF at a community centre in Bobbers Mill which provides services to more than 300 people has revealed how they overcame struggles to help the community during the pandemic.
The Karimia Institute on Berridge Road was founded in 1989.
Ahmed Belim, 52, who is head of fundraising, grew up in Lenton but has since moved to Wollaton with his family.
The Karimia Institute offers support in education, youth work, funeral support, health and even has its own radio station, Radio Dawn.
The community centre provides services to more than 300 people, mainly from Radford, Hyson Green and Bobbers Mill.
Mr Belim said some of these communities are known to be “deprived areas with families of low income and poor social mobility”.
Throughout the lockdowns, Mr Belim said the Karimia Institute supported communities and staff tried to encourage others to get vaccinated.
He told the Post how during the pandemic, all services were put online for all those that use the community centre, adding how “a lot of families were scared”.
He explained: “The pandemic was strange and people were dying to come back, as congregational prayer is better than praying by yourself. At the Karimia centre, there’s a sense of community and people use it as their own information outlet.”
He admitted: “It was hard [to help everyone in need] and numbers dropped slightly as we still needed to stick to the rules too.
“The pandemic has opened my eyes to how reliant the community is – whether it be help for funeral support or help with weddings, this [the community centre] is a lot of people’s first port of call.”
Radford has had one of the worst rates for vaccine uptake in Notts. Mr Belim said the Karimia Institute felt it had a “responsibility to protect the community’” and pledged to educate others about the importance of getting vaccinated.
He said through the use of Radio Dawn, people who use the community centre were able to “dial in” for live question-and-answer sessions regarding the vaccine with NHS professionals, which “gave people a chance to ask professionals about the efficiency of the vaccine”.
The community centre also had popup clinics where staff encouraged people to come along and get vaccinated, showing others that it’s safe.
Mr Belim also spoke about how the community centre is “connecting people from different communities and bringing them together”, especially as he’s noticed more travellers that have arrived in the area. He said the Karimia Institute “offers a range of services and promotes British values” and doesn’t just “bang on about faith”.
The community centre plans to continue workshops such as the Trust Building Forum to educate people about Islamaphobia with the intention to “bust myths” and misconceptions about Islam.