About us
Our aim is to challenge and address health and social care inequalities and to support individuals, families and communities to improve their health and well-being.
Our Vision and Mission:
A society with equitable health and social care systems and services for Black and Minority Ethnic, disadvantaged and other marginalised communities, to reduce inequalities and improve health and well-being.
Our Values
Inclusivity
We advocate to improve the health and wellbeing of marginalised communities in society and work to address the history of inequity within public health.
Integrity
We are open and honest in all that we do, led by our shared vision for equitable health. We stand by the communities that we work with.
Empowering
We listen to the experiences of our communities and take action with them to remove barriers to healthcare. We help people access the knowledge, skills, and services that they need to support themselves.
Community Focused
We are rooted in the locations in which we work. We work with people, groups and organisations to promote good health and wellbeing within their communities.
Passionate
We are a team of people who reflect contemporary society. We care deeply about the communities we work with. We continuously strive to end health inequities.
Charity information
BHA is a health and social care charity which exists to challenge and address health and social care inequalities and support individuals, families and communities to improve their health and well-being.
We offer a range of services delivered at local, regional and national level in the areas of HIV and sexual health, Cancer, TB, mental health, community health education and engaging and involving communities in health and social care decision making.
BHA develops services by engaging and involving communities who experience inequalities to identify needs, barriers and develop services. Our engagement and involvement teams offer services to statutory services, health and care regulators and others to help them reach out into communities whose voices are seldom heard or acted upon.
BHA also supports smaller organisations with a range of infrastructure services, including financial management, HR, quality assurance and consultancy.
Our Registered Charity Number 1079727 and our Company Number 3818058.
Our History
Sexual Health Resources
Since 1990 we have been responding to community needs.
PHE Blood borne viruses – fact sheet for primary care dental teams
Blood Borne Virus Screening in Primary Care Pilot Evaluation Report
HIV and Dentistry Report 2015 – Healthwatch Leeds
Improving Awareness of Prostate Cancer in Black Men in Manchester
Meet the team
Meet our Board of Trustees who voluntarily lead BHA for Equality and have overall responsibility for the organisation.
Board of Trustees
Nilam Prinjha - Trustee
Occupation?
Lecturer in Public HealthDescribe your role as Trustee?
I have worked for BHA in the past, in relation to substance misuse in our communities, alongside commissioners and drugs/alcohol service providers. We met the needs of our communities with drugs and alcohol problems. For part of that role, I worked to attract more diverse communities to come and work in substance abuse, and it makes me proud to see how that still stands today with people who continue to work in the sector. I had a break from BHA when I left Manchester for a period of ten years, but then when I came back last year, I joined the Board of Trustees. Part of my role on the board is to share my knowledge on health inequalities, advising the board on public health challenges we face as populations. We have recently seen again the unequal impact on health on racially marginalised communities, for example, with Covid 19. Our focus on health inequalities aims to address how more disadvantaged communities are impacted.How long in the role?
Since 2021.What attracted you to the board?
One thing that attracted me to the Board was having worked at BHA I understood the staff’s commitment to the charity. BHA has a track record of running successfully as a charity for over 30 years, which is no mean feat with funding changes etc affecting the sector. BHA is highly respected amongst communities and health commissioners. The charity has an excellent reputation across Greater Manchester and Leeds – our longest served areas.What would you like to see for BHA?
The Pandemic highlighted the inequalities for racially marginalised communities. It demonstrated that tackling inequalities and trying to promote equality is still a huge area of need. I would like to see BHA continue to work in its projects and partnerships, as well as to see it expand into sectors such as housing, or even new geographical locations. What the Pandemic has shown us is that that we must continue to champion the case for health equality in racially marginalised communities.Which achievements are you proud of?
As a charity BHA has been running for over 30 years. It started as a small grass roots movement. It has continued to run through a challenging funding environment for charities. For us to have established ourselves and for commissioners to keep coming back to partner us is an achievement. BHA has done this with a very strong reputation. Since becoming a board member I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the job and have enjoyed meeting the team.Francesca Tackie - Chair of the Board of Trustees
Describe your role for the board:
The role involves working closely with the CEO Aydin, and having a regular meeting with him so that he can communicate where the charity is up to. My role involves chairing board meetings and AGMs as well as acting as a link between the board, CEO and SMT. I am consulted regarding major issues, I sometimes have to sign contracts and financial statements and I act as a general sounding board when needed.How long in the role?
I have been a trustee since April 2015 and I’ve been chair for nearly 5 years.What attracted you to the board?
I am business focused and was interested in getting involved in a different capacity in the third sector. I was asked to join the board via a trustee who introduced me to the organisation. Once I met Priscilla (former CEO) and learned about the positive work they were doing for the black and ethnic minority community, it was something I was keen to get stuck into and try and use my business experience to help the charity.What would you like to see for BHA?
We’ve endured challenging periods for income generation and not showcasing our strengths well enough. I want BHA to be more visible. We know the good work that we do internally, but those outside the charity don’t yet know it well enough. I want us to reach into new areas beyond our current locations and become more of a fundraising charity too.Was there anything surprising to you about BHA coming from the corporate sector?
I was pleasantly surprised the charity was so well run with good governance, a good functioning SMT, as well as learning about the passion for the organization from members of staff.Which achievements are you proud of?
I’m proud of the continuity we achieved during the difficult period of replacing our retired CEO Priscilla, as she had big boots to fill! I am happy that with the addition of our new CEO Aydin that our charity can grow. Also I am really proud of the way that everyone has adapted so well during covid - we transitioned to a remote working model with minimal disruption and our charity continues to function well with new ways of working, as we come out of the pandemic. I am also proud of our position of being award one of the top 10 award winning charities of the 2022 UK GSK Impact Awards.Kamie Kitmitto - Trustee
Describe your role as Trustee:
I am the trustee with the responsibility of the role of Treasurer. I work with the Finance Director providing advice and making sure that they have the necessary checks and balances in place for the finance function to operate, as I have a Master’s degree in Business Administration. I also work in IT so I am able to offer advice on that as well. I can call on my experience of governance of the Board of University of Manchester, as I have experience of how other boards work.How long in the role?
Coming up to 10 years.What attracted you to the board?
I’ve always been interested in public service, for example, with my work at the university. At the time of joining the BHA board I had been on the board of the University of Manchester. Initially I started as a trustee on the board of BHA helping with IT. The treasurer left the board, so I then assumed that role. The fact that the charity represents the global majority in the UK - as myself I am from that section of society in this country; that was interesting to me, including the fact it was in the area of health. It is worthwhile to be able to raise awareness of subject areas like AIDS and other health issues of disparate communities. It’s also important to be able to reach marginalised people in the community.What would you like to see for BHA?
I would like the charity to go into policy provision and consultancy provision to companies, in the area of equality and diversity, to show other organisations how to reach, act, and work with marginalised communities. This is a strong area for the charity with high expertise and we should share the knowledge and propagate equality. For that to happen we would require more capacity than we currently have, which is difficult as the current staff are busily employed in their day-to-day roles.Which achievements are you proud of?
I am proud that we have managed to get out of deficit after a long while. Basically, we’re now breaking even and I’m happy the organisation has achieved that. The geographic expansion is good to see too. We have priorities like diversification of the portfolio, as we’re dependent on a specific type of work and we will continue to look into ways to diversify sources of income for the charity.Crispen Sachikonye - Trustee
Describe your role as Trustee:
I contribute to the area of governance, to ensure that the organisation is well run. Once we have information, my role is to review it and ensure it points to sustainable organisation. Second, I contribute to the right kind of board practice. We positively challenge each other, and the executive, in our ways of working. I also play a role in the finance sub-committee.How long in the role?
I have been in the role for 4 years.What attracted you to the board?
The mission of the organisation: addressing health inequalities. In my previous role I worked in Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe to promote public health outcomes within disadvantaged communities. When I joined BHA it was looking to secure more positive impact in public health. I thought I could contribute to that. Also at that time, BHA was considering work outside the Greater Manchester area. That attracted me to the role too as I am interested in wider social impact.What would you like to see for BHA?
I would like to see it working internationally, using its skills and systems to improve health outcomes for the kind of communities I worked for in Zambia. BHA works with local government and other partners and does so efficiently and effectively. I would also like to see BHA play a bigger role in local communities. Every time the charity delivers a project it brings about change in those communities; the under-served get served. This is exciting and I would like to see more of that being done. It means I would like to see BHA being awarded more contracts to work with more communities. BHA collects a lot of data and provides analysis. I am keen for this research to influence policy. I would like to see the charity inform local and national government on what is happening with regards to the health of the community. BHA have the capability, but neither the time nor resources to do that currently.Which achievements are you proud of?
The first that comes to mind is the quality of the administration and how it is run transparently. I consider this to be an achievement of the managers. I have also been proud that BHA has been able to retain contracts and is often invited to tender. This is evidence of its good standing and performance.Natasha Klymczuk - Trustee
Team Members
Andi Walker - Mental Health Support Worker (3.5 years)
Describe what you do day to day?
A mixture of 121s seeing clients with varying issues – asylum seekers, gay men, straight women. We work alongside the medical side of HIV care in Leeds. A new diagnosis for someone who has been diagnosed. Sometimes I support with things like housing applications, housing, benefits, money, as well as issues including domestic abuse and trafficking. There are never two days the same in my role. I work on the PACT (Positive And Confident Together) group for people with a HIV diagnosis. It’s a peer led group and I support the men running that. My colleague and I have been running an asylum seekers group. We help people from the group with their Home Office applications. Last year we won a grant from Touchstone charity to organise a trip to Scarborough where we took members on a day out. We also do things like going out for dinner with the group.Fulfilling aspect of the role:
When you’re in the support rooms and someone is telling you their life story you feel privileged. I feel honoured that people share their personal stories with me. The huge spectrum of diverse people you meet in the job is exciting. It’s fascinating that everyone has a unique story.Greatest achievements?
We did a project last year for the 40th anniversary of HIV, where we were involved in making an AIDS memorial quilt. I had approached the Thackray Museum of Medicine about making a quilt to be displayed in the museum. Subsequently, we ran open quilting sessions where people could drop in and they could participate. I sewed the panels together once these were submitted. Another key achievement was the funding we secured for a voguing workshop with from Leeds City Council for Pride month.Challenges?
The ones that I find frustrating are mainly the external challenges that are beyond our control, for example, for the asylum seekers group and the issues they can face in dealing with the Home Office.Type of things coming up?
We’ve got some wellbeing sessions that are being planned. We’re changing our offer to one-off events every few months, like massages etc. We have secured £1k funding from Leeds City Council for our LGBT+ services users. We intend to run a programme of wellbeing following on from the users’ input.Aydin Djemal - CEO
Describe what you do day to day?
My role is to oversee the general wellbeing of the charity. As a result, I do a bit of everything. Sometimes I do project work, like seeing how well our projects are running, considering how else they might work. Another area I get involved in is finance – checking on our finances and the pipeline of project work. I get involved in fundraising for the charity, such as looking out for grants or contracts to fund existing or new projects. I also do a lot of external work, raising the profile of the charity and trying to influence decision makers about issues that affect our clients.Fulfilling aspect of the role:
One of the main fulfilling aspects of the roles is when we get new pieces of work started. This is when we successfully get funding, following an application, and the work starts up as a new project. I like the sense of accomplishment from this, the sense of something new starting and how it manifests as a fresh line of work for the charity.Challenges?
There is a lack of capacity in the core team and there is never enough resources for what the charity needs unfortunately. Trying to remedy this is tricky as it involves spending money.Coming up?
I’m looking forward to our new project in Liverpool. The sexual health project is important work and we are intending to build upon our work there and to discover new opportunities in Liverpool in the next couple of years.Rebecca Pullin - Service User Engagement Coordinator Leeds & Project Coordinator Wakefield
Describe what you do day to day?
As a manager I oversee how everyone is doing – we are a small team made up of all part-time staff. I’m a line manager for our admin and service user engagement staff in Leeds and all staff in Wakefield. I support the staff I line manage with their day-to-day tasks and other needs. In Wakefield we work within vulnerable communities (Black African, gay, bisexual men who have sex with men, anyone having difficulty accessing mainstream services) to promote the prevention of HIV. I work to engage the community, find testing venues, education services and make use of community resources already available. In our support services in both Leeds and Wakefield we support all people living with HIV. I receive the referrals and am the first point of contact for a new person coming into BHA as a client. We offer 121 support, including access to a counsellor, social groups, peer mentoring, 121 peer support and group peer support. We have wellbeing days for our clients as well as opportunities to attend training sessions. For my role in Leeds, I work with other staff members to make sure that the services we offer our clients are what they want and need. I try to engage our clients with our events such as Pride and World AIDS day and I coordinate the peer mentors as they engage with our clients as well.Fulfilling aspect of the role:
My favourite part is the coordination and delivery of education and learning for Leeds and Wakefield and finding people interested in it. My delivery of these sessions has more impact as I live with HIV myself. When I talk about this subject I am able to convey to others the realities of living with HIV and the impacts it can have. I am keen to educate and dispel any misconceptions and myths. I am personally involved in activism work and I am involved in national campaigns and that helps our service maintain a profile on a national level. I also run education and training sessions on different topics for people living with HIV. A lot of the content and delivery comes down to building self-confidence and learning to speak about HIV.Greatest achievements?
I’m proud of a Living Well with HIV course which I developed which I developed with Positively UK – I used to work for them and developed it from what I delivered to suit the needs of our clients in Wakefield and Leeds. Some of our service users prefer to engage with information over support. I enjoy organising World Aids Day – we tend to have a mini programme of events around it to raise the profile of the cause and lessen HIV stigma. I’m proud of our partnership working too, we have worked with Leeds and Wakefield City Councils and on World Aids Day, we have events, with the Lord Mayor at the last two, peer mentors speak as well as staff and other key partners.Challenges?
The common challenges we face as a service, particularly in Wakefield, is encouraging clients to talk about HIV, to us, a counsellor, friend or partner. We find that a lot of people living with HIV still don’t want to talk about it, when research shows the number one way to improve your mental health is to talk about. A lot of people with HIV are not living well mentally and they could do with support, but the fear and stigma in their community is often ingrained. This unfortunately is the legacy of community suspicion from the 80s. For my work it can be hard to get your foot in the door. It’s saddening on a personal level as well as professionally when I meet people who feel ashamed because of a HIV diagnosis. We work hard to try and change that.Coming up?
We have an Open Doors event; we are taking part in the Fighting HIV Stigma march and rally in London on the 1st October; the Living Well with HIV day course and World AIDS Day.Elisabete Miranda - Programme Lead for Greater Manchester & Liverpool Sexual Health Teams
Describe what you do day to day?
I’m responsible for the PASH Partnership (Passionate about Sexual Health) a collaboration between BHA for Equality, LGBT Foundation, and George House Trust. At BHA, we offer free and confidential sexual health services, such as HIV/STI screening, free condoms, and information and advice to Black, Asian, and minority communities living in Greater Manchester. I manage a team of three Sexual Health Advisors, (SHA& HIV Testing Lead, SHA& Engagement Lead, and SHA& Inclusion Lead) and two Community Engagement & Development workers. Part of my work is also the collaboration and cooperation with different partners, organizations, and networks. Fulfilling aspect of the role: We are making a difference by providing sexual health services in the community to Black, Asian, and minority ethnic individuals who may otherwise not have access to it. As we provide HIV and STI screening to people, information, and advice using different engagement approaches, between face-to-face and online interventions, we are contributing to improving the health of vulnerable groups.Greatest achievements?
We have been able to create spaces of trust, through 121 interventions and group sessions, where we encourage people to think about their sexual health and get regular HIV/STI screening. These spaces offer an opportunity to normalize conversations about sexual health and reduce the stigma associated with it. The stigma can be down to culture, tradition, misinformation, or phobia of being exposed. Having open conversations breaks the barriers that lead to sexual health inequalities.Challenges?
We cover the whole of Greater Manchester and there is a great deal of demand for our services.Type of things coming up?
We are doing a PrEP Awareness campaign and joining the Sexual Health Week campaign and we are inviting influencers in our community to talk about sexual health and share the message of PrEP, a pill that can prevent HIV.Faiza Chaudhri - Community Engagement & Development Lead
Describe what you do day to day?
I work within the community empowering people to make informed decisions about their health specifically around screening and early detection of Cancer, to increase their chance of survival against the illness. The interactive awareness sessions give the community information on the three national screening programmes: bowel, breast and cervical cancer. We also offer advice and support on prostate cancer, as well has looking at early signs and symptoms as we know early detection saves lives. Unfortunately, discussing cancer is a taboo in some communities and it can be hidden, meaning that some people aren’t aware of the symptoms. We are keen to break down these taboos and work with the communities to find ways to address these. Our sessions are bespoke and we work with varied communities including ethnic minority groups, carers, men, deprived communities and LGBTQ+ communities. We work in the heart of the communities with existing groups. We also take stalls in marketplaces and carnivals as part of our community outreach. All our sessions are interactive, and we try to make it as fun as possible.Fulfilling aspect of the role:
I’m passionate about equality for all. Being able to help people take control of their own health is extremely rewarding. I love developing different ways of engaging with different communities to get the messages across and in a way they feel comfortable. The sessions are a learning place not only for the community but for me also. I learn something new from each group I deliver to. It's great to see people approaching me at the end and saying things like ‘I’ve never been for screening and ignored the letters, but I will definitely book mine now’, ‘I have had some of those symptoms and been ignoring them, now I will make an appointment and get it checked’.Greatest achievements?
Breaking down some of the myths and misconceptions in the community and getting people to think about cancer as a curable disease if caught early on. The fear of death has stopped people coming forward - if they have early signs and just ignore them. We developed some Ramadan packs for the mosques during Ramadan, which contained information on the three national screening programmes and TB. These were given to mosques around Manchester and the Imaan at the mosques did a special sermon on the importance of Cancer screening. In Ramadan these mosques have hundreds of people coming for the special night prayers, so the message was being delivered to them at this time. Also working with Adult Education ‘Talk English Group’ developing bespoke training for those who English isn’t their first language. We developed pictorial games and interactive ways to get messages across.Challenges?
There are challenges working with different communities with different cultural barriers around Cancer. It’s been challenging to find different ways of getting the message across, where the viewpoints have been embedded into communities for generations. We have been working with the communities to find solutions to these. Developing bespoke sessions for all the different communities has proven to be successful, everyone has different needs – it’s about equity which leads to equality.Michelle Howarth - Engagement Manager
What you do day to day?
I have recently joined BHA and I manage a team of five who work in the community as Community Engagement & Development Officers. We look at how they can promote the sessions in the workplace. We are always looking for opportunities at events like the carnivals, festivals, shopping areas where we can reach many members of the Black, Asian & ethnic minority communities to raise awareness of breast, prostate and cervical cancers. One of my projects encouraging women to get their cervical screening checks and we’re planning more prostate cancer sessions for men. I will work with some of our prostate cancer champions to see what we can offer in male dominated environments.Anticipate Challenges?
I like find a way of managing challenges when they arise and as a team we can manage to do the work that we need to do.Seher Sheikh - Project Lead on TB for BHA for Equality
Describe what you do day to day?
I go into the community and encourage people to get screened for TB (Tuberculosis). The community work I manage involves taking stalls at events and different projects at centres such as The Manchester College, as well as refugee and asylum seeker groups in Manchester. My role is to assist the TB nurses at MRI Hospital. Patients come in and I can give them information in different languages – Arabic, Somalia, Urdu, Punjabi - which helps them feel more at ease.Why is this important?
Because some communities are entering the country from other countries where TB is a problem. I help to kickstart the process of their screening, which is an involved process, but is important for them to get the opportunity to be diagnosed and prevent the spread of TB - from those who have an active form of TB. An added value of my role is that I can signpost patients to other activities like ESOL classes in the community, which can help them with learning of English.Achievements?
I’m passionate about my work and people can see that. I am approachable and as such, people aren’t afraid of asking me questions. I’m a people person and have helped staff in the hospitals with advice on speaking to patients on TB matters. This role has helped me to feel valued -the nurses at MRI Hospital feel that I’m a valued team member there too.Challenges?
There’s only myself doing this role three days a week and funding of this project is limited to that for the work that we are doing. I have a busy week and try to be flexible over which days I work, but it would be great to have more members on this team. The DNA (did not attend) rate of patients not turning up for appointments is high, so I have been speaking to patients over the phone in advance for their appointments to try to reduce this figure. There are 18,000 people on a waiting list for TB screening, as when they enter the UK from a country where TB rates are high they automatically get put onto the list. We get names of new entrants to Greater Manchester and the appointment waiting list for those is 6 – 12 months.Type of events?
There are lots of community events which take place in the Summer like the Mela in Platt Fields and the Caribbean festival in Alexandra Park, so I am usually there in person meeting people. When there I speak to some people who might be experiencing symptoms of TB that are prolonged and not going away. For example, this might be a cough, fever, weight loss, loss of appetite, night sweats and extreme tiredness.Donna Miller
Director of Policy, Engagement & Development – Healthy Communities Directorate
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