Canvas Bridge

𝐂𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐢 𝐍𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐞

Qu’est-ce qui rend Canvas Bridge différent ?

❌ Nous ne séparons pas les données des personnes.
❌ Nous ne séparons pas les systèmes des expériences vécues.
❌ Nous ne séparons pas les politiques des réalités du terrain.

Au contraire, nous intégrons :

✅ Le leadership fondé sur l’expérience vécue au cœur de tout ce que nous faisons
✅ Un solide ancrage dans la recherche, les politiques publiques et la pensée systémique
✅ Une expertise en co-construction et en PPIE (Patient & Public Involvement and Engagement)
✅ Le storytelling comme outil de guérison et de transformation des systèmes
✅ Un pont porté par la diaspora entre le Royaume-Uni et la Guinée

Nous pensons que la santé maternelle et la santé mentale ne peuvent être abordées uniquement à travers un prisme clinique. Les déterminants sociaux, culturels, structurels et économiques de la santé doivent également être pleinement reconnus et pris en compte.

Nous envisageons ainsi l’avenir de la santé maternelle et mentale comme profondément relationnel, ancré dans les réalités culturelles et centré sur l’humain (avec des systèmes, politiques et services véritablement co-construits avec les usagers et les communautés).

Alors que Canvas Bridge poursuit son développement, nous souhaitons particulièrement entrer en contact avec des organisations, institutions, chercheurs, décideurs, créatifs, bailleurs et leaders communautaires qui partagent cette vision et s’engagent à construire des approches plus équitables et collaboratives du bien-être et du changement systémique.

✨Pour toute opportunité de partenariat ou de collaboration, veuillez nous contacter via : [email protected]

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐔𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐭

What makes Canvas Bridge different?

❌We don’t separate data from people.
❌We don’t separate systems from lived experience.
❌We don’t separate policy from reality.

Instead, we integrate:
✅ Lived experience leadership at the centre of everything we do
✅ Deep grounding in research, policy, and systems thinking
✅ Expertise in co-production and PPIE
✅ Storytelling as a tool for healing and systems change
✅ A diaspora-led bridge between the UK and Guinea

We believe that maternal and mental health cannot be approached through a purely clinical lens. The social, cultural, structural, and economic determinants of health must also be fully recognised and addressed.

We therefore view the future of maternal and mental health as relational, culturally grounded, and human-centred - with systems, policies, and services genuinely co-produced with service users and communities.

As Canvas Bridge continues to grow, we are particularly interested in connecting with organisations, institutions, researchers, policymakers, creatives, funders, and community leaders who share this vision and are committed to building more equitable and collaborative approaches to wellbeing and systems change.

✨To explore partnerships or collaborations, please contact us at: [email protected]

We’re pleased to introduce 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐯𝐚𝐬 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐋𝐭𝐝 🌍
𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡.

A UK-registered for-profit social impact organisation advancing maternal and mental health, and workforce wellbeing across borders, systems, and communities.

This next chapter builds on years of work across maternal and mental health, now expanded through Canvas Bridge Ltd.

Canvas Bridge brings together a growing team and an advisory board of leaders across health, policy, and community systems united by a shared commitment to building more human, effective, and culturally grounded approaches to care.

We strengthen systems through:
— Policy and research-informed practice
— Lived experience leadership
— Co-production and PPIE
— Cross-country collaboration between the UK, Africa & beyond -starting with Guinea

What makes our model distinct is how we integrate these: combining systems thinking, storytelling, and cultural insight to design responses that go beyond surface-level change.

Our work spans:
• Programmes, training, and narrative-based approaches
• Systems advisory, co-production, and research-informed strategy
• Convening, partnerships, and cross-sector collaboration

Canvas Bridge is also home to our wider body of work ( including publications and a podcast platform) using narrative as a tool for healing, learning, and systems change.

At our core, we are building a future where maternal and mental health systems are shaped with, not for, the people they serve.

𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬; 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬.

𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬, 𝐥𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤.



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Nous sommes heureux de vous présenter 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐯𝐚𝐬 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐋𝐭𝐝 🌍
𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐱 𝐝𝐮 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐦é𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐚 𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐭é 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐭 𝐥𝐚 𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐭é 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞.

𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐯𝐚𝐬 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐋𝐭𝐝 est une organisation à impact social à but lucratif, enregistrée au Royaume-Uni, œuvrant pour l’amélioration de la santé maternelle, de la santé mentale et du bien-être des professionnels, à travers les systèmes, les communautés et les frontières.

Ce nouveau chapitre s’appuie sur plusieurs années de travail dans les domaines de la santé maternelle et de la santé mentale, aujourd’hui portées et développées à travers ⭐️Canvas Bridge Ltd.⭐️

Canvas Bridge réunit une équipe en pleine croissance ainsi qu’un comité consultatif composé de leaders engagés dans les secteurs de la santé, des politiques publiques et des systèmes communautaires, tous unis par une même ambition : développer des approches plus humaines, plus efficaces et profondément ancrées dans les réalités culturelles.

Nous contribuons au renforcement des systèmes grâce à :
— Des approches fondées sur la recherche et les politiques publiques
— Le leadership porté par l’expérience vécue
— La co-construction et le PPIE (ou Participation et Implication des Patients et du Public - PIPP)
— Des collaborations internationales entre le Royaume-Uni, l’Afrique et au-delà - en commençant par la Guinée

Ce qui distingue notre modèle, c’est notre capacité à relier ces dimensions : pensée systémique, narration et intelligence culturelle, afin d’imaginer des réponses qui vont bien au-delà des changements de surface.

Nos domaines d’intervention :
• Programmes, formations et approches fondées sur le récit et le partage d’expériences
• Conseil stratégique, co-construction et stratégies éclairées par la recherche
• Espaces de dialogue, partenariats et collaborations intersectorielles

Canvas Bridge rassemble également nos autres initiatives (notamment des publications et une plateforme de podcast) où la narration devient un outil de guérison, d’apprentissage et de transformation des systèmes.

Au cœur de notre vision : construire un avenir où les systèmes de santé maternelle et mentale sont conçus avec les personnes qu’ils accompagnent, et non simplement pour elles.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐮-𝐝𝐞𝐥à 𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢è𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚ç𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐥’𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭è𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐭é 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞.

À 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐞𝐮𝐱 𝐪𝐮𝐢 𝐟𝐚ç𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐥’𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭è𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐭é : 𝐨𝐮𝐯𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞.

I’m really pleased to share that my first children’s book is almost ready! Alhamdulillah!

⭐ 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝘽𝙄𝙂 𝙀𝙇𝙀𝙋𝙃𝘼𝙉𝙏 & 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝘽𝙞𝙧𝙙 ⭐ is an inspiring story that focuses on emotional intelligence.

The book has been created for young children but it also contains meaningful lessons that adults can connect with too.

When I finished writing the manuscript, it was important for me to collaborate with someone who truly understood the heart of the story and could capture its essence through beautiful, authentic, and culturally-appropriate images. I therefore feel very blessed and incredibly fortunate to have partnered with 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝-𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐍𝐚𝐢 💫 , whose talent and creativity have added so much depth to this special project.

Her great sense of humour has also made this journey so much fun! 😊

I can’t wait for you to meet the characters and experience the story.

So stay tuned and get ready for your first order(s)!

If this sounds like a book you would love to share with a child (or even enjoy yourself), I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.



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Mon premier livre pour enfants est presque prêt ! Alhamdulillah !
⭐ 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝘽𝙄𝙂 𝙀𝙇𝙀𝙋𝙃𝘼𝙉𝙏 & 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝘽𝙞𝙧𝙙 ⭐ est une histoire inspirante qui met l’accent sur l’intelligence émotionnelle.

Ce livre a été créé pour les jeunes enfants, mais il contient également des leçons profondes auxquelles les adultes peuvent aussi s’identifier.

Lorsque j’ai terminé l’écriture du manuscrit, il était essentiel pour moi de collaborer avec une personne qui comprenne réellement l’essence de l’histoire et puisse la retranscrire à travers des illustrations belles, authentiques et culturellement adaptées. Ce fut donc un plaisir de collaborer avec 💫𝐥’𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐦é𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐢, dont le talent et la créativité ont apporté une réelle profondeur à ce projet si spécial.

Son excellent sens de l’humour a également rendu cette aventure encore plus agréable ! 😊

J’ai hâte que vous découvriez les personnages!

Alors restez connectés et préparez-vous à passer vos premières commandes !

Si ce livre vous parle et que vous aimeriez le partager avec un enfant (ou même en profiter vous-même), je serais ravie de découvrir vos avis en commentaires.

́motionnelle ̂tdisponible

Been thinking ...

Been building ...

Been busy ...

Something exciting is on the way, inshaa Allah ...



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Réflexion prolongée …

Développement en cours …

Période très chargée …

Quelque chose de nouveau se prépare, inchaa Allah …

Yesterday, my colleague Dr Hannah Rayment-Jones and I had the opportunity to present our NoRePF research project at 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥.

The hybrid session was really well-attended .

We shared our work with council members, VCSE partners, and NHS stakeholders, and it was incredibly encouraging to be part of such an engaged and thoughtful space.

The atmosphere was open and collaborative, leading to meaningful and promising conversations about how we move this work forward.

Our presentation centred on the power of co-production through our inspiring Experts by Experience (EbE) colleagues, whose lived experiences have shaped this research from the very beginning. This is not research done for people, but with them; and that is embedded at every stage: from funding to delivery and outputs.

We also reflected on key insights from stakeholder engagements (including a policy roundtable co-hosted with the UCL MAMAH Study, our group cooking event, etc. ) as well as our hitherto findings and future plans.

A key learning reinforced once again: flexibility matters just as much as planning. When we create space for people to share their stories authentically, the depth and quality of insight grows significantly. When people feel comfortable and respected, participation becomes more meaningful and inclusive.

The realities shared through this work are not always easy to hear. Women navigating barriers to basic maternity care, facing delays, financial strain, and systemic inequalities. These experiences underline the urgent need for more humane, inclusive systems grounded in lived experience.

As mentioned then, 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐜𝐨-𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐧-𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭.

A huge thank you to Nora, Molly Bolding, Stephen Reddy, Bethan, all the attendees, and everyone who contributed to making this event such a success! Your commitment and collaboration made this space truly impactful.

⭐ Migration is a human right. Let’s never forget that. ⭐



King's College London Borough of Tower Hamlets

Yesterday, I had the privilege of speaking at the ⭐ 2nd Migrant Maternal Health and Early Childhood Research Conference ⭐ , where I also shared my poem on migration entitled: “𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐀: 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒.”

It was genuinely inspiring to meet new people, reconnect with familiar faces, and learn so much from everyone in the room. Really powerful presentations, indeed!

The event brought together individuals deeply committed to driving positive change in migrant maternal health - creating a space that felt both powerful and purposeful.

I spoke about the incredible work of that we have conducted with our Experts by Experience colleagues (over 15 women who have co-produced events, contributed to policy discussions, and shaped this project through lived experience). Their voices continue to guide meaningful, human-centred approaches.

A key takeaway from the day was simple but significant: when people feel supported, they are more able to engage, share, and contribute authentically. Inclusion is not an add-on; it’s essential.

We also reflected on stakeholder insights captured at the policy roundtable in 2025 (co-hosted session by MAMAH Study at UCL):

• Where we are now
• Suggestions and recommendations for better outcomes
• Possible policy implementations

The stories shared were powerful and, at times, difficult - highlighting the urgent need for more humane, inclusive systems that centre dignity, safety, and lived experience.

I’m grateful to everyone who contributed to such an impactful day - particularly to my co-presenter, Dr Hannah Rayment-Jones, who beautiful shared the findings of our NoRePF project.

This work matters, and the collective energy in that space made it clear: change is not only needed; it’s already in motion.

As I mentioned at the conference, migration is a human right. Let's never forget that!

Dr Hannah Rayment-Jones Jane Sandall CBE FMedSci Amneet Graham Dr Yusuf Sh*ttu MBBS MSc MRCGP Dalvir Kandola Amanda Firth Maternity Stream Research Network NIHR Maternity Disparities Consortium Nafiza Anwar , FRCM , FNF Scholar Heather Reeves Jennifer Fraser, PhD Meriem Amer Lana Mullins Esther Sharma, PhD King's College London



Zénab Barry