2022 has been a packed year for WIN. In May, we celebrated the launch of our second award-winning film from the All Of Us Schools Campaign at Westminster Academy with incredible guests from across the mental health and education sectors. The highlight of the event was our panel of young people involved with the making of the film and with recent workshops, chaired by actress and CEO of Seed Eating Disorder Support UK, Gemma Oaten. In the summer, we held a boat party on the Thames to celebrate being able to gather together as a WIN family again after the COVID-19 pandemic. We also continued to grow our Time to Talk panel series, discussing the challenges women face in the asylum system and how faith communities and secular service providers can work together to tackle the crisis in women and girls mental health. Our groups continue to reflect the power of solidarity between women to transcend cultural and religious divides, coming together regularly to share food, discuss books and religious teachings or even to practice yoga. The whole team sends a huge thank you to everyone that has supported our work this year, and we look forward to continuing to work together as a WIN family in 2023.
A Message From Our CEO
Since the beginning of the year, WIN has continued to develop its vision and mission of ‘breaking barriers, across divides’, demonstrated by the activities our WIN Groups that have been organised in their various communities. The work of WIN has never been so important as we see the world getting more and more polarised, especially with the cost of living affecting many families, more people seeking safety and asylum in the UK, as well as people worried about their children more with the increase of violence.
WIN has been busy this year and one of the highlight for me was the summer boat party that brought 80 members together for the first time after a very difficult time during the lock-down. Everyone said how they enjoyed the day and took part in a laughter yoga led by Dr Kapur.
WIN’s involvement in highlighting the increased violence against women, particularly, during and after Covid lock-down, is vital in raising awareness of violence that exists, even within faith communities which needs addressing. WIN is determined to make a difference in all areas that cause harm, hate, prejudice, religious and cultural division in the world, in order to make the world a better place for the future generations too.
WIN highlights the importance of women from diverse faiths and cultures coming together to talk, discuss and listen to each other provides an avenue to challenge the harmful stereotypes in the community. Finding common things and building on those things through community activities help to address this challenge and make our society less polarised.
Marion Waruguru, WIN CEO
A Message From Our Chair
The end of the old year and looking towards the new is often a time for reflection on the past and hopes for the future. With WIN’s 20th anniversary next year we can be so proud of all that WIN has achieved and the friendships that have been forged. WIN members are a constant source of love, kindness and sisterhood in a world of upheaval and uncertainty. I know that we will go from strength to strength in helping to create a better and more harmonious society.
Lady Gilda Levy, WIN Chair and Co-Founder
