Inini Initiative Ltd

Hello friends… I wanted to take a moment to reintroduce myself and the work I do.

I’m a community organiser, public health specialist, and social scientist working to challenge the structural injustices that shape migrant mental health in the UK. My work is rooted in racial justice, collective care, and long-term engagement with migrant communities.

I’ve recently completed a PhD looking at how hostile migration regimes, racism, and institutional neglect limit access to mental health services for Black sub-Saharan Afrikan migrant communities.

This year also marks ten years since I founded Inini Initiative. It was through the peer support groups and community-led work we built together that the motivation my PhD first emerged.

From next week, I will be sharing some insights and findings from my doctoral research here and on other platforms. I’m sharing this because the research has important implications for how mental health services are designed and delivered, and I want it to reach people who can help change systems.

I’ll share more information and links soon for anyone who is interested.

Please take note and share with your contacts

Our Inini Nuneaton Peer Support Group from last Friday. The guys are eager to integrate, connect and contribute. Their biggest request is to learn English. If you are an organisation/tutor offering ESOL classes in Nuneaton and Bedworth, we’d love to hear from you! Please reach out and help us empower these amazing individuals on their journey. Email us at [email protected] for more information 💚

Wednesdays in the office are always a vibe when the ladies gather for their ‘Mikono’ sewing group. I joined them briefly yesterday (okay, maybe a bit longer!) and got caught up in their lively conversation. Topics ranged from marriage and long distance relationships to sexual health and the heated debate about men demanding DNA tests for children while having kids outside their marriages. It was such a thought-provoking discussion! I love spending time with them and getting to understand the challenges they are facing as women living in the diaspora.

Our migrant peer support group in Nuneaton today. Our Outreach Worker was on site to offer social support together with our therapist who delivers mental health training and group therapy. Colleagues working with migrants in Bedworth and Nuneaton please note: we are at the Hatters Space Community Centre, Nuneaton. CV11 5DN every Friday 10-3pm. Please inbox or email [email protected] if you need any flyers (both digital and printed). We have flyers in Arabic, Tigrinya, Pashto, Persian and English.

Together with our partners Coventry Refugee Migrant Centre and CWPT NHS Refugee Welbeing Service we also offer one-to-one counselling sessions to migrants. You can refer into the service via a referral form on our respective websites. Inini’s website is www.inini.co.uk. Referrals through this website will be assessed and shared among the partners.

“I have been through counselling for long […] but now no […]. The best way to treat me is to give me freedom because this situation is the one causing this mental problem”.

This is an extract from one of my participants’ interviews. And yes, in my practice at Inini I have individuals released from mental hospital to homelessness.

The data in my thesis revealed two superordinate themes; Struggle and Oppression and Medical Colonialism. It showed how Black Afrikans in the UK are aware that mental health services are programmed to fit the lifestyles of indeginous populations. As such, they do not see a solution in being prescribed medication or being given counselling sessions. Their problems can only be resolved through policies and legislation.

Join me this Wednesday, 21 January at the University of Warwick in FAB 3.32, 3-4.30pm where I will be sharing findings from my study which explored the barriers to mental health service access and utilisation among Black Sub-Saharan Afrikan migrants in England. All welcome 🙏

This made my heart smile 😊. Thanks Tulia

Last Mafuba felt motivated to establish a mental health organisation Inini Initiative Ltd focused on engaging ethnic minority communities after writing her thesis for her postgraduate course on 'Reasons Why Immigrant Women Living in the UK, Who Are Experiencing Domestic Violence, Do Not Engage with the Law.'. Last views herself as a change maker and is determined to tackle injustice and poverty within ethnic minority communities. She consistently strives to increase awareness of mental health within the BME communities to remove the stigma and social exclusion.

We celebrate Last Mafuba because she has taken proactive steps to address the critical issue of mental health in ethnic minority communities. By founding a mental health organisation, she is empowering those who often face systemic barriers and stigma, particularly in the context of domestic violence. Her dedication to understanding the challenges immigrant women face and her commitment to providing support and resources demonstrate her passion for creating positive change.

Last Mafuba's work not only raises awareness but also fosters a sense of community and belonging, helping to ensure that individuals feel heard, understood, and supported in their struggles.

🎶 Exploring Musical Empathy with Liz Dilnot Johnson: "When a Child is a Witness" 🎶 Today, we're honored to delve into the world of Liz Dilnot Johnson, a composer whose profound works echo deep communal stories and social issues. In this vid...

We must resist the narrative that dehumanises, gaslights and criminalises people who move across borders for a better life.

This hostility can never be accepted or normalised.

They are people, not boats.

This harmful, dehumanising project silences migrant and refugee communities - reducing people into a number to count, a threat to reduce or a crisis to control.

There are alternatives to denying people healthcare, to deporting people 4000 miles away, to forcing people onto prison barges, containing them in military camps & detention sites.

Welcome not deportation. Community not detention. Protection not criminalisation. Solidarity not surveillance.

Migration is about people. There are enough resources, when we share.

We’ve Moved….Due to the redevelopment of City Centre South we have moved to the Harp Place, 2 Sandy Lane, CV1 4DX. We are thrilled about our new space and can’t wait to welcome you here.

We are proud to be a part of this.

Talking Therapies x Valley House x Coventry Citizens Advice x Warwickshire Pride x Inini Initiative Ltd 💙🧡💛💚

We’re ecstatic to join forces with the above organisations to ensure we’re providing the best services to you!
Keep an eye out for our lovely representatives, who are more than happy to meet your needs, as we reach out further into our communities!🥰