Meet Hina: Advocate, mentor, and community builder

Hina Usman Ghani is the Director of Bridges to Change Community Empowerment.

She also serves as a member of the Wandsworth Migration Board.

Questions and answers

We asked questions about the vital work she does to support sanctuary seekers.

Tell us a little about your role on the Wandsworth Migration Board

Being part of the Wandsworth Migration Board is an honour, as few people with lived experience are invited into spaces where systems listen and create change. I see this role as a responsibility to represent voices that are often unheard.

My journey comes from personal experience. I arrived in the UK from Pakistan as a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, a minority that faces discrimination. Adjusting to a new country, language, and systems without support was challenging.

Serving on the Board allows me to turn these experiences into meaningful change. Having walked a similar path, I understand the fears and hopes people carry. I work to ensure that sanctuary seekers’ voices are truly understood and reflected in decisions that shape our communities.

What made you start running coffee mornings for sanctuary-seeking women in Roehampton?

I started the coffee mornings after meeting many sanctuary-seeking women who were carrying quiet worries while navigating new systems, raising children, and feeling isolated in an unfamiliar country. I wanted to create a welcoming, judgment-free space where women feel heard, supported, and connected.

Many of the women I met carried silent worries behind brave smiles. They were trying to navigate unfamiliar systems, raise children in a new country, and cope with the emotional pain of being far from family and community. Despite their strength, many felt isolated and unsure where to turn for support.

One story that deeply touched my heart was about a woman who came to the coffee morning for the first time and sat quietly, hardly speaking. After some time, she shared that since arriving in the UK she had not spoken openly about her struggles with anyone.

She felt overwhelmed by the new systems and responsibilities and sometimes felt invisible.

But during that morning, simply sitting with other women, sharing tea and listening to their stories, something began to change. She slowly started to speak and connect with others. At the end of the session, she said something that stayed with me: 

"For the first time since arriving here, I feel like I am not alone."

Moments like this remind me why creating safe spaces for women is so important. My hope is that through community, kindness, and connection, no woman has to carry her struggles alone and every woman can feel that she truly belongs.

Tell us more about what happens at the coffee mornings

What began as a simple tea gathering has grown into a small community hub. We now offer peer support and host workshops with partners such as the NHS on women’s health, as well as language support in Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, and English.

We also work with Citizens Advice and other local services to provide guidance, one-to-one help, and practical support such as translations and referrals.

Thanks to newly raised funding, we are expanding further. Our weekly programme now includes yoga sessions for physical wellbeing, community coffee mornings, and informal English conversation classes. From March onwards, the schedule includes yoga (10 to 11am), coffee mornings for community connection (11am to 12pm), followed by English conversation classes.

We are also working towards launching formal ESOL classes in the near future, ensuring that no woman has to face these challenges alone. 

Do you have a message for other sanctuary seekers reading this?

There is a language that everyone understands - the language of love and kindness.

Sometimes the simplest gestures - listening, creating safe spaces, and offering support - can open the biggest doors. Through compassion and community, we can help each other heal, grow, and feel that we truly belong.