One True Voice founder Ninna Ismail with volunteers and beneficiaries Hafsa Sheik, Fartun Hashi and Tania Abdirahman Glenn Copus |
Evening Standard | Monday March 7, 2016 – The group of 15 Somali schoolgirls were hanging out on the railings of Islington’s Andover estate with a group of boys smoking cannabis when, out of the blue, a woman in a hijab approached. “Are you girls from here?” she wanted to know.
“It’s 5pm, don’t you think you should be heading home?”
The girls ignored this “strange aunty” — who introduced herself as Ninna Ismail — but the next day she returned. “Aren’t you supposed to be in school?” she persisted when she saw them “chilling” at midday.
The lies rolled off the tongue: “I had a doctor’s appointment, miss. I finished early, miss.”
So Ninna tried a different tack. “We’re a charity called One True Voice, we help Somali women, we’re based on this estate and we’re about to have a hot lunch in our office.” She pointed to the community centre. “Do you want to come in for a pizza?”
Gradually Ninna, 35, who also works as a Marks & Spencer cashier, won the trust of the girls. They began to open up. But what they revealed was deeply disturbing.
“The girls ranged in age from 11 to 17 yet most were already sexually active,” recalled Ninna. “They came from traditional families, many wore the hijab, and their parents had absolutely no idea what they were up to.
“They told us that growing up on the estate, it was normal to do sexual things. The 11-year-old wasn’t even aware that it was against the law to be engaging in sex at her age. It was shocking.”
Today One True Voice, co-founded by Ninna and two other Somali women — Asha Abdi and Sahra Abdillahi — helps more than 500 Somali women a year.
It is one of 96 estate-based charitable groups to have won a grant from the Evening Standard Dispossessed Fund as part of our award-winning The Estate We’re In initiative.
In total, we have given out £1.2 million in grants of up to £20,000 to grassroots groups operating in more than 125 estates, the money coming from Citi banking group, Linklaters law firm, Mount Anvil property developers and the Cabinet Office.
Until now OTV has been run entirely by volunteers, but they will use their £17,800 grant to recruit a paid youth engagement worker, extend their opening hours, and run workshops promoting sexual health and drugs and alcohol awareness.
The grant will also be deployed to take 50 girls on a summer camping residential and for London day-trips to broaden their horizons and build self-confidence.
How did they help that 11-year-old girl? “We arranged for her to be seen by a sexual health clinic that offers expert counselling and we spoke to the parents,” said Ninna.
“We have to be sensitive. We try to be non-judgmental and signpost people to the experts who can then contact the appropriate authorities.”
Their mission began in 2010 when the three founders met during prayers at Finsbury Park Mosque and started helping Somali immigrant women with translation services.
Shortly after, Ninna, who came to the UK aged six and is one of 15 children, noticed that Somali teenage girls growing up on the estate were disempowered too, albeit in different ways.
“Many felt under pressure by boys on the estate to do sexual and gang stuff. That was a problem because although Andover is a lovely ‘family’ estate, it was also infamous for its antisocial behaviour, and there had been several stabbings and even murders.”
Hafsa Sheik, 20, who lives on the estate and helps as a volunteer for OTV, was one of the original girls “hanging out on the railings” who Ninna approached.
“I was 18 and I thought, ‘Why is this lady talking to me?’ At the time I had the ‘hood’ look of big hair, tracksuit and trainers and I was full of attitude. I used to slap other girls and was quick to lose my temper and I was disruptive in class.” She grinned.
“That piece of pizza Ninna offered us changed my life. Ninna got me back into education and through her I have met other young role models who have opened my eyes.”
Women like Tania Abdirahman, 22, who after volunteering with OTV for three years will become the group’s first paid youth engagement worker.
“This estate is near Arsenal, so there is lots for boys to do like football and basketball, but there is nothing for the girls,” she said. “The grant will allow us to fund great things for girls. I know girls on this estate who are smoking weed, drinking. We want to organise trips to museums and get them inspired.”
Earlier Ninna had introduced me to two of their “special” volunteers, Mohammed Jama, 23, and Khali Ahmed, 35. Both had been helped by the charity after fleeing unspeakably tragic lives in Somalia.
“Mr Jama witnessed the rape and murder of his sister before he left and he now comes to help out every day,” said Ninna.
Mrs Ahmed, who had cooked some delicious pastries called shu-shumo, then spoke: “My mum and dad were killed in front of me when I was 14.”
She was silent a while as she composed herself, then she pulled a raft of certificates out of her bag, each one filed neatly in a plastic sleeve. “When I came here I didn’t know anyone.
“One True Voice helped me learn English and get these certificates in social care and they got me into college. One day I will be midwife.” She was smiling now. “I am proud, I am very proud.”
Ninna looked on. “We can’t change the horror of the past,” she said softly. “But with a bit of help from us, there’s no reason why these women can’t have a shining future and make a proud contribution to London
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Xafiiska Wararka Qaranimo Online | Mogadishu, Somalia
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