According to research, women refugees take longer to integrate, take longer to learn English, have poorer health and are often victims of sexual and gender based violence. As the main caregiver to children and the person completing the majority of housework, support can be far less accessible to women refugees, and for us, that’s a problem. 

Each and every person’s experience of seeking sanctuary is different, and we understand that there are a number of difficulties that women may have that men may not. Our integration caseworkers are happy to support people of any gender and refer to services with tailored support if necessary.

Women are encouraged to attend our mixed gender activities, but we understand that this isn’t for everyone. Doing what we can to make integration as accessible as possible is incredibly important to us, which is why we hold women’s only sessions. 

From women’s health and beauty sessions to exercise and English classes, our women’s officer, Jacci, has organised a number of fantastic sessions throughout the week, as well as hosting a women’s WhatsApp group. All of our sessions are a great way to meet people, relax, and receive support for any issues you may be facing.

Health & Beauty

The Women’s Health & Beauty session runs every Wednesday from 10:00am to 12:00pm in the Small Hall. 

Come along to paint nails, collect free toiletries and have fun together. We occasionally have visitors from other organisations who speak on a range of topics such as breast cancer, health screening, activities provided by other local services, destitution, support groups, parenting, FGM, and more. 

We are always looking for volunteers for this group so if you have a particular skill you would like to share such as threading or massage, fill out a volunteering application here.

Women’s Music and Drumming

Oasis One World Choir is an external organisation that comes to make music at Oasis. Whether you express yourself through song, instruments or movement, there’s something for everyone in this session. The group regularly performs at local events, so come along to see if you are made for the stage.

A number of One World Choir groups convene through the week, and women are welcome to attend all sessions.

More details on our activities timetable.

ESOL

Research shows that women are less likely to attend ESOL classes, and women have lower levels of fluency and literacy than men, which doesn’t change until they have been in their new country for 18 months. Speaking the local language is essential for integration - which has the potential to connect with others and find paid employment, which can each have a huge impact on wellbeing.

It is incredibly important to us to make ESOL classes as accessible as possible for our women clients, so we have free creche provision during our weekly women’s only ESOL class. Women are also welcome to attend our mixed drop-in ESOL classes, but these do not have creche provision.

If you’d like to find out more about ESOL, contact [email protected]