A significant piece of research on the Somali Community in Cardiff, published in 2023, found significant barriers for the community in terms of access to work, support and health services to name a few areas. In order to create a coherent response to these needs, a group of Somali-led organisations led by Ali Abdi and Eid Ahmed created the Himilo Alliance which currently consists of ten members.
C3SC had the honor of engaging with the group and their process of setting up earlier in the year through a series of meetings. The team supported with helping to draft the Terms of Reference for the alliance – a list of guiding principles that sets the purpose of the project and how this will be developed and measured, as well as drafting some governance procedures tailored to the alliance.
In an effort to support the project further and move it across, C3SC also supported the Alliance to submit a funding bid to the Welsh Government Child Poverty Fund based on the findings of the research previously carried out. A successful bid of £25,000 was achieved which we were thrilled to learn resulted in a visit from the Cabinet Minister Jane Hutt, who met a number of the partner organisations at Hayaat Women’s Trust – which demonstrates the value of creating alliances for better funding bids.
Following on from the positive developments of the Alliance, we were also pleased to learn that they have been invited to give a presentation at the next Public Services Board, giving them a huge opportunity to advocate for improved services for their community.
Ali Abdi told us, ‘Thanks for your dedication and commitment to the establishment of the Somali-Led Alliance and keeping Sheila informed about our progress. I commend C3SC for their leadership and support in driving this collaborative working model forward especially in these times of difficulty and austerity.‘
We look forward to hearing more from the Himilo Alliance, and the partnership working it is fostering in its local community.
If you’d like to talk through how C3SC can support you to work in collaboration and partnership to strengthen your group and our communities, please contact us on enquiries@c3sc.org.uk or call 02920 485 722.
