It’s an evening community gathering in Nottingham, with councillor Faith Gakanje-Ajala at the centre, guiding discussions on how to share limited council funds among local organisations, residents, and partners.
Voices rise, and frustrations surface, but Faith remains firm and measured, ensuring African and Caribbean communities are heard.
Faith gathers the discourse and declares her focus, she says: “The council only allocates funding to one or a few minority groups… The rest are left out, and this has been an ongoing problem.
“Since COVID, the organisation has faced inconsistent funding, which is a significant concern.
“The aim is to create a consortium to unify advocacy efforts instead of acting alone.”
Arriving in the UK from Zimbabwe over 20 years ago, Faith has risen from migrant to councillor, CEO, and award-winning community leader.
She has become a vital voice for African women in Nottingham.
When Faith first moved to the UK, she found few spaces designed specifically for black immigrant women – particularly in Nottingham.
While well-known NGOs like Oxfam and Save the Children were active nationally, far fewer organisations focused on the intersecting challenges of gender, migration, and African diaspora experiences at the local level.
The gap inspired her to act.
In 2006, she founded The African Women’s Empowerment Forum (AWEF) in Nottingham to support African migrant women as they built new lives in the city.
Since then, she has poured her energy into leading the organisation, helping women navigate employment, education, health and social inclusion.
Over two decades, AWEF has become a trusted anchor for women who often arrive feeling isolated and overwhelmed.
Faith says: “The biggest shock women face is isolation.
“Everything feels unfamiliar, the language, systems, even the weather.
“We welcome them immediately, offering a safe space, guidance and practical support.”
In April, Nottingham City Council received £21.2 million from the national crisis and resilience fund (CRF) to help residents.
At 59, recently recognised with the Community Champions Award at the Partners & Invest Back Awards in Telford, her true reward is the positive change she sees in the women she supports daily.
AWEF’s chief administrative officer, Leadelle Bloomfield, said: “Councillor Faith is a truly inspiring leader whose dedication has touched many lives.
“Her lived experience gives her a powerful voice in leadership and advocacy, allowing her to connect with people in a meaningful and authentic way.
“Personally, councillor Faith has inspired me to become more productive, focused, and ambitious in life.”
Community groups like AWEF are well-placed to ensure aid reaches those in need, but many face challenges accessing these funds.
The CRF is allocated through grant windows every six months from 2026 to 2029, requiring detailed proposals aligned with goals such as welfare advice and financial resilience.
For overstretched small teams, navigating the application process can be overwhelming, especially when their work doesn’t perfectly fit narrow funding criteria despite directly addressing community needs.
At the meeting, members stressed the importance of advocating for direct support and sustaining our current generation.
Local Entrepreneur, Andrew Crawford, said: “…Moving forward, the consortia need to concentrate on planning and delivering for our community.”
The room echoed that sentiment, and Faith is helping to channel it into a collective call for fairer, more accessible funding.
Her determination to bridge the gap between policy and lived reality is grounded in her own journey.
She knows what it feels like to arrive in a new country and start again from scratch.
That experience gives her, as colleagues say, a powerful authenticity.
What’s next for the AWEF?
In recent months, AWEF has taken another step forward with a new essential skills programme funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).
Launched earlier this year, the programme is designed to help marginalised communities in Nottingham progress towards employment, further education and social inclusion.
The courses offer more than just certificates; they also offer digital skills sessions to help women gain confidence with online services and job applications.
Wellbeing support sessions create space to talk about mental health and the emotional toll of migration.
Through their “Grandma’s Kitchen” project, culinary classes bring women together to cook, share stories and preserve cultural traditions while building new friendships and support networks.
These initiatives are helping the charities and communities directly affected by global crises.
More than 150 people who access AWEF’s services are from Sudan, many with extended families living through conflict and grief.
For them, a familiar face, a shared language, or a warm meal in a safe space can make all the difference.
There was a shared frustration that there is often little distinction between different African and Caribbean groups and the services they provide.
Faith said: “The African community is diverse, encompassing over 50 countries, multiple languages and rich cultures that should be acknowledged.
We have come so far, but still have so much more to do to serve our members and those who come to us who are vulnerable and need help with integration into life in Nottingham.”
