Mini Mag Global Issue

A LT CA R D I F F Issue One January 2021

SETTING SAIL & SEEKING SANCTUARY

CHAMPIONING GLOBAL WOMEN’S RIGHTS

SEWING THE THREADS OF A FAIRER FUTURE

Unafraid of death and loss, Iranian refugees flee their country in pursuit of finding sanctuary and religious freedom in Wales

A local advocacy group discusses diversity, representation and migrant rights at an event hosted

by Women’s Equality Network

Zero waste crafter, Pip Tudor, spent lockdown beside her sewing machine crafting for a cause close to her heart

Championing global women’s rights A local advocacy group discusses diversity, representation and refugee rights at a panel event hosted by Women’s Equality Network // Words by Elle Redman

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ith a vision to see Wales free from all forms of gender discrimination, non-profit organisation, Women’s Equality Network Wales, hosted a panel event on 11 December, 2020 to discuss global women’s rights.

The regular online event, WEN Café, led by the network’s director Catherine Fookes, invited panellists to share their thoughts on the work of Wales across various spheres to support women’s rights around the world.

Ahead of International Migrants Day, one panellist and social justice activist, Joys Viollette Njini, spoke of the Women Seeking Sanctuary Advocacy Group (WSSAG), where she works as project development officer. The lobbying, advocacy and support group works locally to empower female refugees and asylum seekers in Cardiff.

women by providing free courses such as mental health, wellbeing and employment workshops, as well as English lessons, coffee mornings and digital skills classes.

The group has grown from strength to strength and now serves as a safe space and second family for many women in the community, Joys explained. “Wherever women are gathered, a lot of good things happen. Supporting each other is our strength,” Joys asserted.

Looking to the future, WSSAG hope the Welsh government will do more to support migrant women by providing more funding for important services.

WSSAG was created by Joys’ sister Constance Nzeneu in 2009, who at the time was an asylum seeker herself. Based in Butetown and partnering with Cardiff University, the charity helps migrant

For women who have arrived in the UK as sanctuary seekers, the challenges to participate in public life are great, said charity founder, Constance. The work to empower them starts at the grassroots level which requires both resources and funding, she added. Joys concludes, “There should be more awareness created around this issue as this is the only way we can get diversity and the equality we’re seeking.”

Combatting the country’s mental health emergency

Empowering the next generation of creatives

With demand for mental health services set to rise, Mind Cymru encourages everyone to prioritise their mental wellbeing

As the pandemic poses new challenges for the cultural and creative industries, Lab7 helps young people kick start their careers in the arts

As lockdown restrictions are lifted in Wales, the demand for mental health support is expected to increase, explains Glenn Page, Mind Cymru’s senior policy and campaigns officer. To combat the country’s “mental health emergency” Mind Cymru has launched a collection of services to help local communities.

Lab7 is a newly launched Cardiff-based charity with a mission to empower the next generation of creatives. Founded and directed by youth worker, Toni Andrews, Lab7 focuses on supporting young people from low-income households by providing financial support and opportunities.

Recent research by the charity found one in three adults and one in four young people did not access support during lockdown because they didn’t think their issue was serious enough to deserve support, Glenn revealed. With the effects of the pandemic felt across society, a survey conducted by Superdrug earlier this year also discovered 65% of people were concerned about their mental health. The consensus is clear that lockdown has had a significant impact on all of us, Glenn noted.

The charity aims to “bridge the gap” and break down the barriers faced by young people who, due to their socio-economic background, do not have access to the privileges of creative development that others take as standard. In the last five to 10 years, youth clubs have been diminishing and closing down one by one, Toni explained. Unfortunately, due to budget cuts, services have moved away from creativity and the arts. “The idea is to give them a step up – they don’t have to prove or show anything back to us,” Toni added.

In partnership with 20 local Minds, the charity is working across Wales to provide community support. Funded by the Welsh Government, the charity has been running an active monitoring service which enables people to self-refer for a six-week course.

This was delivered in rapid time in response to Covid-19 and it has had a huge uptake, Glenn added. He says, “There’s never been a more critical time to prioritise mental health.”

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Research led by the University of Warwick outlines that children from low income families are the least likely to be employed and succeed in the creative and cultural sectors. “These young people may never know they’re good at making music if they’ve never had the chance to try,” Toni concludes. “My hope is that the project will help to bridge that gap and let them have a go.”

OF A FAIRER FUTURE Zero waste crafter, Pip Tudor, spent lockdown beside her sewing machine, fundraisng for a cause close to her heart Words by Elle Redman

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ome stories are striking reminders that good things can be brought from challenging situations – even a global pandemic. Surrounded by second-hand fabric waiting to be woven into colourful masks, zero waste crafter, Pip Tudor laughed lightheartedly as she spoke of her creative endeavours of lockdown. “I have so much fabric, it’s ridiculous,” she chuckles. Previously a teacher by trade, Pip, 30, has been working at Cardiff’s first and most famous zero waste store, Ripple, for just short of two years.

Pip explains her passion for sustainable living began with shopping second-hand in local charity shops, markets and car boot sales. Today, she runs an Instagram account dedicated to zero waste crafting.

From macrame plant hangers to printed tees, she has no shortage of creative crafting ideas.

During lockdown, Pip started making reusable masks that were handmade for friends and “It all spiralled upward from there!” she began. As the team discussed stocking face masks in store, Pip willingly offered create one or two batches for the counter, so Ripple began selling her masks by early summer.

Spending her evenings beside the sewing machine and working behind the scenes, she made 20 masks per night.

One morning, she recalled bringing in a batch of 65 only to find they to find they had all been scooped up by the end of the working day. “It went a bit mad for a while!” she jokes. Almost nonchalantly, Pip lightly adds, “I’ve been trying to tally up every time I make a new bundle of masks and so far, I’ve counted 400.”

and didn’t have the money, I’d rather say to them, ‘Please take one,’ as I still wanted them to have a reusable mask.”

It’s been disheartening walking along the streets to see so many disposable masks discarded on the floor, Pip noted. “It’s frustrating when you spend so much of your time trying to encourage people to avoid waste like that. It’s hard,” she said, very penny made has been donated to her voice sober and steady.

Labour Behind the Label, a BristolSounding more hopeful, she explained based campaign that since group supporting re-opening the You don’t really need garment workers, store, Ripple has anything to be more Pip explained. With welcomed new the recent news of customers who sustainable exploitation and are interested in in fact, you need less poor regulations in taking personal garment factories in action and cities such as Leicester, Labour Behind becoming more sustainable. the Label have been working to investigate and help those affected. Though initially hen it comes to living a the mission was to raise a couple of sustainable lifestyle, considerate hundred pounds, over £1,000 has been consumption is really important, Pip said. raised for the charity so far, she revealed.

“You don’t really need anything to be Carefully created from up-cycled more sustainable - in fact, you need less.” materials with a pay-as-you-feel pricing Going forward, she hopes to be even model, Pip wanted to ensure that everyone more eco-conscious. For Pip, making the who needed a mask would be able to masks has been a great way to clear out access one. “I didn’t want to set a price her fabrics and minimize materials. And that was unaffordable for some people,” it’s all for a good cause, she chirped. she said earnestly. “If somebody came in @thezerowastecrafter

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Photography by Joyce Romero

SEWING THE THREADS

Setting sail & seeking sanctuary

Unafraid of death and loss, Iranian refugees flee their country in pursuit of finding sanctuary and religious freedom in Wales Words by Elle Redman

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ur world is home to 7.8 billion people. That’s 7.8 billion lives and individual experiences. Each number represents a face, and each face represents a story – one of triumph and tragedy, love and loss, peril and pain, resilience and risk.

According to Senedd equalities committee chairman, John Griffiths, in 2015, one in every 113 humans was either a refugee, internally displaced, or seeking asylum. That’s one in every 113 humans searching for safety and freedom.

Five years on, with statistics continuing to soar, UNHCR research suggests there are around 133,094 refugees living in the UK, and as estimated by local non-profit organisation, Oasis, 10,000 of them currently call Cardiff home.

Earlier this year, the Welsh capital celebrated Refugee Week with the theme ‘Imagine the potential of Wales as a true nation of sanctuary.’ The government’s pledge commits to support refugee

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and migrant communities in Wales by providing accommodation, encouraging community integration, increasing education and employment opportunities and reducing inequality.

“This is a fitting theme for our nation, as Wales has enjoyed a long history of welcoming refugees, and we continue to value and benefit from their skills, entrepreneurial spirit and the sharing of their cultures,” explained Jane Hutt, deputy minister and chief whip in a statement for Refugee Week 2020.

When it comes to providing a warm Welsh welcome to refugees, Cardiff pastors, Carl and Jane Gidney have been working in the heart of the city to help the displaced find sanctuary at Tredegarville International Church. The Baptist chapel, established in 1862, was first founded to serve the affluent area of Tredegarville, before becoming a passionate and all-embracing place of worship for a growing community of over 50 Iranian, Kurdish and Afghan refugees and asylum seekers.

Triumph and tragedy, love and loss, peril and pain, resilience and risk

Photography by Luke McKeown Page 5

While numbers may be dehumanising, a story holds significance Tredegarville was a very posh area and the church was known as an ‘upstairs downstairs’ church. Until recent times, the congregation mostly comprised of white British Baptists who lived in the area, said Carl, current pastor of the church.

“It went through a radical shift in the 1980s as City Road became increasingly multicultural,” he added.

Situated beside the Visa and Immigration Centre, the once traditional church now provides support where it’s needed by running regular English lessons, a food bank and a social centre. Carl and his team also tackle intervention for immigration issues by liaising with solicitors, case workers and the home office to advocate on behalf of the community.

With 70% of the church’s attendees hailing from Iran, Sunday services are now translated into Farsi, the official language of the country.

IN SEARCH OF FREEDOM

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EVERY STORY MATTERS Speaking of the underground church scene in North West Iran, Vahid, 21, explained attendees must only invite those they trust because there is no place for any religion other than the government’s official religion. Undeterred by the risk of persecution, when invited by a friend to a Christian house church, he embraced the opportunity with both hands. Vahid fled his home country 14 months ago, travelling alone by boat and foot, and has been seeking asylum in Cardiff ever since. He now attends Tredegarville International Church, which he warmly describes as his “family”.

Dana, also born and raised in Iran, has been living in Cardiff since September 2019 and is a devoted member of the church. reviously attending a house church in Iran, he is now a translator, leads a weekly small group and mentors other Iranians within the Tredegarville community. With plans to pursue a career in medicine, he shares his happy experience of life in Cardiff. “I, myself believe that this [small group] is not to be all about the Bible. A very important thing about these groups is that we ask one another, ‘What are we happy for?’ and ‘What are we upset about?’ This way, maybe we can help each other,” he says.

Today, as we experience the worst refugee crisis since the Second World War, it can seem difficult to connect a story to a statistic, or to link a human life to a fact or figure. While numbers may be dehumanising, a story holds significance. As humans, despite the cultures, creeds and countries that divide us, like Dana and Vahid, in one way or another, we each search for the sanctuary of community and freedom. We each hope for a happy ending marked by triumph rather than tragedy and love rather than loss.

So, in amongst the 10,000 refugees living in Cardiff, maybe you’ll see a story that you connect with, and maybe you’ll see a story that looks a little bit like yours.

Photography by Jon Tyson

As well as searching for economic asylum, an increasing number of Iranian refugees flee their homes in search of religious freedom. As outlined by religious charity, Open Doors, on a regular basis, Christians in Iran face torture, lengthy prison sentences, discrimination and persecution from the government, with converts from Islam to Christianity specifically targeted as a “national security threat”. For this reason, the country has been added to the Open Doors 2020 World Watch List (WWL) which ranks the top 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution. In spite of the religious oppression that continues unhindered, “The underground Iranian church is the fastest growing church in the world,” says Carl.

“Christianity is growing exponentially there, but of course, if you are a Christian you have to leave the country – however this doesn’t seem to stop them. “They share their faith and they’re not afraid because they’ve had to face death and loss along the way,” he affirms.