In 2002 a group of wonderful Somali mothers from West London set up a Somali Mothers and Under Fives group. They had recently arrived in the area, forced to flee the terrible civil unrest in their homeland. At the time, the Somali community in West London was small and new and there was very little support for the new arrivals. Within a few months these mothers realised that their community was struggling across a broad spectrum of areas including education, health, housing, finances and employment.  Access to mainstream support was lacking, and many community members were extremely isolated. In response, the group transformed in November 2002 to become Midaye – meaning Unity – aiming to advocate on behalf of the community, address all the challenges in making a home and accessing mainstream services in the UK.

​

Today, Midaye is dedicated to helping migrant ethnic minority communities in West London (especially those who do not speak English as a home language), with a particular emphasis on reaching the most isolated and disadvantaged families and individuals. We provide a diverse range of community-led projects and activities with our multi-lingual staff and volunteers that support people of all ages and backgrounds. In addition to direct support services, we work to bring our communities together with policy makers, statutory service providers, and commissioners, creating a place at the decision-making table for migrant communities.

 

Midaye has come a long way since 2002, but we remain proudly true to the vision of those Somali mothers who had a vision of collective care in creating a community that works for everyone in it.