In East London, where a spirit of action and community-led change thrives, you’ll find Hawaa Network, empowering women to overcome challenges and create lasting impact.But to understand what it is, you have to hear about the woman at the heart of it, Sharmina Banu.
More than an organisation, Hawaa Network is a community-led sanctuary, built on the principles of understanding, trust and empowerment. Their strength lies in reaching out to women from often marginalised communities within London and sharing the power to speak for themselves.
At the heart of Hawaa is Sharmina Banu, a woman whose journey started with a deeply felt need to right the wrongs that she felt so keenly as a child.
“I remember being in school,” Sharmina recalls, “and I just saw that there were a lot of children with behavioural issues, but it was never addressed… It was just because of all of the kind of things that were happening outside of school, like in family and stuff, and the teachers, they weren’t equipped to deal with the community that they were serving.” This first-hand experience led Sharmina to make what she now calls a, “tunnel visioned” decision to be a Social Worker by the time she was thirteen years old.
That path took her away from East London. But she eventually returned to her roots, bringing with her the knowledge and power to make a real difference to the local community.
But there’s more to it. The ethos of this group is based on expanding knowledge and listening to people. It’s not about imposing solutions from above, but about responding to the community as a whole. To share their beliefs of support, their needs for the community is expanding. As Sharmina put it, “The vision was just kind of coming together along with the people that we were serving. As the needs were growing, the vision was growing because we kind of kept expanding based on the lived experience of people around us.”
From providing food and vital support during the COVID-19 pandemic to women who were left alone while pregnant to creating safe havens for women experiencing domestic abuse, Hawaa has consistently stepped up to fill the gaps that other support networks have been ignoring for years.
In one instance, a woman from the neighbourhood was attacked and had her hijab pulled. She chose to call Sharmina before the police. It was then that Sharmina realised there was a bigger issue, a lack of faith and understanding for support amongst the community.
Even the most dedicated organisations face hurdles. For Hawaa, these include a lack of a permanent base. That and as the constant pressure of dealing with immediate crises, and the need for expert guidance to amplify their impact. That is where the Power to Prosper (P2P) campaign comes in. P2P offers them the chance to step back and think strategically.
For Sharmina, P2P is an opportunity to dream bigger, to see Hawaa’s influence spread further afield. It’s a chance to share best practices, to empower other women, and to let them know of all that they can achieve in time. Hawaa Network has a genuine strength when it comes to mobilising and organising those around them.
By sharing these experiences, by giving support, by offering unity, and through the sharing of knowledge and resources, the whole community can grow. In the words of Hawaa Network: You see one woman sees another person’s, you know, crown crooked – You don’t knock it off, you know, you you fix it.
Hawaa Network is a reminder that even in the face of adversity, hope can take root and flourish. And as Sharmina and her team continue to build bridges within their community, they invite us all to join them, to listen to the stories that often go unheard, and to create a world where everyone has the chance to thrive.