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About Us

Mission: To create a just society, where all women have equal opportunities and access to resources in every aspect of life – socially, culturally, economically, and politically.

Welcome to AkiDwA, the sisterhood of African migrant women in Ireland.

For over two decades, AkiDwA has been at the forefront of advocating for migrant women’s rights in Ireland. As a leading NGO, we empower thousands of migrant women and communities through our network, outreach, psychosocial support, and training programs.

Our projects focus on building the capacity of migrant women and encouraging their active participation in local communities, civic and political structures, government consultations, and decision-making processes.

At AkiDwA, we work closely with migrant women and key stakeholders to identify discriminatory practices. Through evidence-based solutions, we address crucial issues such as health, sexual and gender-based violence, and discrimination.

Join us in our journey towards a more inclusive and equitable Ireland. Together, we can create a brighter future for all migrant women.

AkiDwA History

Our journey began in 1999 when migrant women started gathering in Dublin’s vibrant Temple Bar for regular meetings. By 2001, under the guidance of Salome and with support from the Catherine McAuley Centre, a strong community of African women had formed, sharing their experiences of life in Ireland.

In 2002, AkiDwA received funding from the Combat Poverty Agency to conduct a groundbreaking needs assessment survey among African women living in Ireland. Over 200 females from seventeen counties responded, revealing issues of exclusion, isolation, racial abuse, discrimination, and gender-based violence. With this knowledge, the group continued to meet with external facilitators.

By 2003, AkiDwA established more formal structures, becoming a registered company with guarantee, laying the foundation for its impactful work. Though primarily voluntary until 2005, Salome’s determination garnered financial support from Social Entrepreneur Ireland, propelling AkiDwA forward. By 2007, our organization achieved charitable status and developed its first strategic plan, attracting tremendous support and funding resources.

Fast forward to 2023, AkiDwA stands as a highly respected and credible organization, recognized for its unique expertise and longevity in the field. We take immense pride in being a national women’s representative organization, led by migrants, for migrants. Our commitment to empowering and supporting migrant women remains as strong as ever.

Join us on this journey of empowerment, education, and inclusion as we continue to make a positive impact on the lives of migrant women in Ireland. Together, we can create a more equitable and welcoming society for all.

Welcome to AkiDwA – Your Voice, Our Strength.

Governance, Compliance,
& Organisational Structure

AkiDwA is a registered charity in Ireland (CHY 17227) and we are  also registered with the Charities Regulator as Akina Dada wa Africa (Charity Number 20063641). AkiDwA also operates as a company limited by guarantee without capital share (370089).

The organisation is governed by a Board of Directors from diverse backgrounds and professions. The board meets six times a year. The Annual General assembly is held every year where an annual report which includes a narrative of activities and a financial report are shared and discussed with stakeholders. The work of the organisation is also supported by an advisory committee made up of both migrants and indigenous people  from different backgrounds and expertise.

 

AkiDwA fully Complies with The Governance Code for the Community, Voluntary and Charitable Sector in Ireland, having completed our  journey to compliance in April 2019.

Evaluation carried out by the AkiDwA in 2018 indicated the organisation has highly qualified board members and is embedded with resilience governance policies and compliance, has skilful and knowledgeable motivated staff that take pride in their work with members, volunteers and target group loyalty to the important work of the organisation.

AkiDwA is committed to transparency and good governance. Our Annual Reports and Financial Statements can be viewed below, and are archived in our Publications section.

2020: Annual Report: Coping with the new normal + Director’s Report and Financial Statements

2019:  Annual Report: Driving the Equality Agenda Bottom Up Approach +  Directors Reports and Financial Statements

2019: Strategic Plan 2019-2021

2018:   Annual Report: Working towards structural transformation + Director’s Report and Financial Statements

2017: Annual Report: Shaping the Future + Directors’ Report and Financial Statement

2016: Annual Report: Embracing Diversity + Directors’ Report and Fianancial Statement

2015: Annual Report: Your Voice is Your Power + Directors’ Report and Financial Statement

2014: Annual Report: Preparation for Change + Directors’ Report and Financial Statement

Organisational Structure

Board Members

Board Member

Thaís Muniz

Thaís Muniz, a native of Brazil, is an interdisciplinary artist and designer interested in the Afro-diasporic connections, identity, belonging and migration. Her art practices emerge from the need of shattering the status quo when it comes to the representation of Black bodies, to empower, rescue identities & histories, building bridges and opening conversations. Thaís uses textiles, storytelling, interactive performances, audio-visuals, workshops and urban interventions to share narratives from an anti-colonial perspective, connecting people and uplifting histories. Since 2012 she has pioneered research on turbans and headwraps in Afro-Atlantic culture and its place in art, politics and aesthetics, by creating Turbante-se, a movement and platform, which follows the mystery and beauty of turbans and headwraps in the Afro-Atlantic diaspora – its traditions, new meanings and usage, as tool and connection object. This movement has empowered Black communities from all over the world with an array of practices and actions.

Vice Chair

Beth Wanjiku Kinyua

Beth Wanjiku Kinyuais involved with community development programmes – work which has motivated her to get a certificate in the same as well as diplomas and certificates in management, leadership and web design. Kinyua also developed skills from her work with the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops in coordinating projects, strategic planning, administrative skills, and giving support to different projects and colleagues.

Chairperson

Cllr. Uruemu Adejinmi

Cllr. Uruemu Adejinmi is the Mayor of Longford and member of Longford County Council. Married with three children, she has an honours degree in Mathematics, a PGDip in Risk and Financial Analysis, an MBA and is a certified Personal Insolvency Practitioner (PIP). Prior to becoming a Public Representative, Cllr. Uruemu Adejinmi held varied roles in the Private and Public Sectors, from entry level to management level and has expertise in auditing, project & process management, product research & development, policy development, contract negotiation, personal insolvency & debt management as well as human capital development. She is a Community activist, serves as director and executive member on boards and committees, and volunteers in community groups and the Parish Council. She is the founder and Chairperson of  the Longford Africans Network.

Company Secretary

Tahereh Fardin Tabrizi

Tahereh Fardin Tabrizi was born in Iran and moved to Zimbabwe with her parents when she was 7 years old. As she started high school, they moved to South Africa whereafter she completed her LLB in Law at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and subsequently her LLM in international Law at the university of Johannesburg. She participated as an exchange student at Leiden University in the Netherlands at the faculty of Law for the course of Advanced Air and Space law.  In addition to her studies and activities in law, she has been instrumental in the administration and accounting setup of two small start-up companies in South Africa. Tahereh has also provided translation and legal research services to organisations in Iran, South Africa and Iraq. In her career, Tahereh has also served the UN refugee council in Iraq as well as the Afghani refugees in Iran. She has been working as a legal advisor and compliance advisor for a few years now. Academia has always been a huge part of her life, and she is currently busy with the admission requirements for a PhD in law focusing on women’s issues in Human Rights.

Board Member

Luzia Antonio Berechet

Luzia Antonio Berechet was born in Angola and has been living in Ireland since 1996. She strongly believes in equal rights for women which she believes gives her the right to call herself feminist. Luzia speaks three languages, which help her to navigate many cultures and ways of being. She is dedicated, committed and passionate about communicating the importance of being an instrument of empowerment. Luzia has held a diverse range of roles over the years, lending to a particularly unique expertise: she is the founder of MyT.T.Talk, the chair of AWDI, a patron at Soulsisters UK, the governance officer at Shining Light Galway, an emotional geographer at EMME, and has served as the regional coordinator at Sheroes Global. In addition to this she has volunteered for the Annual Collection Day for the Special Olympics Ireland, has been a speaker for Lideranca no Feminino, the Acting chair of CCAI, and a member of VAD-Angolan Voices in Diaspora. Her expertise is in administration and communication are unparalleled.

Treasurer

Dami Aramide

Dami Aramide is a motivated financial services professional with over nine years of experience in consulting and financial services (FS) industries with a strong focus on project management, portfolio development, business unit management and risk governance. A PRINCE2 foundation certified professional with an MBA from Trinity College Dublin (TCD), she possesses excellent interpersonal and teamwork skills with the ability to develop relationships with clients, key stakeholders and colleagues to deliver business/project goals. Dami is passionate about project/risk governance, achieving targeted deliverables at record time and going above and beyond client/stakeholder expectations. She has proven communication and influencing skills with a record of delivering high quality results.

Advisory Group

Robin Hanan

Kuda Mushaya

Mick Rafferty

Patricia McCarthy

Linda Kirwisa

Funding

AkiDwA’s work is supported by Pobal, the Scheme to Support National Organisations, which is  funded by the Government of Ireland through the Department of Rural and Community Development.

AkiDwA Milestones

2014: The first family planning clinic for FGM survivors opens in May
  • AkiDwa’s pioneering work on research into FGM  led to the opening of Ireland’s first specialised family planning clinic for women who have undergone  FGM. Following meetings with stakeholders throughout 2013, the Irish Family Planning Associationand the HSE open the clinic in May
  • In March  AkiDwA CEO Salome Mbugua  made a presentation to Members of the European Parliament in Brussels  on  Bringing Life to Plural Europe, at the invitation of Younous OMARJEE and Jean-Jacob BICEP.  Her talk  led to  the EU parliament discussing xenophobia and racism as causes of inequalities and injustice
  •  AkiDwA’s campaigning and lobbying and working in collaboration with other stakeholders produced positive results when the Reception and Integration Agency developed and published a  policy on sexual and gender  based violence for managers, staff and residents of all  accommodation centres for asylum seekers in Ireland
  •  Following a feasibility study for AkiDwA, a new strategic plan was developed for the organisation
2013: AkiDwA publishes Between Two Cultures, a book of inspirational stories based on the experiences of young migrant women
  • AkiDwA CEO   delivered a presentation  to the European Parliament in Brussels on  the impact of the  financial and economic crisis on women. She contributed to a policy paper on the role of migrant women in diaspora for international development that was published by Friends of Europe a European organisation
  • Akidwa undertook a survey of  Young migrant women
  • Between Two Cultures, A book featuring  inspirational stories of the experiences of young migrant women  in Ireland was launched  by AkiDwA  to celebrate International Women’s Day
2012: FGM is outlawed in Ireland
  • After more than a decade of campaigning  by AkiDwA  in Ireland, the Criminal Justice Act 2012 (Female Genital Mutilation)  was signed into law by President Michael D. Higgins on 2nd April, making FGM illegal.
  • The law became effective on 20th September, making it a criminal offence for anyone resident in Ireland to perform FGM. The maximum penalty under the new law is a fine, imprisonment for up to 14 years or both
  • AkiDwA launched the No Place to Call Home Report which highlighted Issues  of Safety and Security  for  Women Seeking Asylum in Ireland
  • After years of campaigning we saw progress in the area of domestic violence for migrant women, when The Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service  (INIS) published Guidelines for Immigrants experiencing Domestic Violence
  • AkiDwA’s new strategic plan was launched.
2011: AkiDwA makes a Dáil presentation on behalf of women living in direct provision
  • AkiDwA partnered with the Equality Authority to produce a report on  The Multiple Discrimination against Migrant Women in Education and Employment in Ireland
  • In July  AkiDwA and Amnesty International met with the Commissioner of Refugee Applications and a senior member of their policy unit  to  discuss a European initiative called  Engendering the European Asylum Support Office (EASO)
  • AkiDwA gave a presentation at the Dáil to the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality which focused on the barriers faced by women who are living in direct provision when they seek remedies for  domestic violence
  • AkiDwA celebrated a decade of work with migrant women and key stakeholders across Ireland
  • AkiDwA completed a ten year organisational review and evaluation
  • AkiDwA launched the publication, ‘Home and Away: Migrant Women Transforming Ireland’. An exhibition based on the report was shown in libraries and local authorities across Ireland.
2010: AkiDwA CEO Salome Mbugua is elected to the National Women’s Council of Ireland
  • AkiDwA published Am Only Saying it Now, research  into  the Experiences of Women Seeking Asylum in Ireland
  • AkiDwA was invited to the Dáil twice  to  give presentations to the Committee on Health and Children and to the Committee on Women, Equality and Justice
  •  AkiDwA  Launched an Information Booklet on Access to Employment and Education for Migrants
  • AkiDwA CEO Salome Mbugua was elected as Deputy Chair of the National Women’s Council of Ireland.
  • AkiDwA CEO is selected to represent Ireland on the Eisenhower Women’s Leadership Programme in the USA
2009: Handbook on FGM: Information for Health Care Professionals Working in Ireland
  • AkiDwA and the Royal College of Surgeons launch  the first Irish Handbook on FGM: Female Genital Mutilation: Information for Health Care Professionals Working in Ireland 
  • first data on FGM in Ireland
  • One migrant woman was elected as a Councillor in County Monaghan after AkiDwA organized a national conference entitled African and Migrant Women: Creating and Shaping Changes in support  of  migrant women running in  local elections
  • AkiDwA gave a presentation on FGM to the Joint Oireachteas Committee on Health and Children
  •  The  Minister for Health Mary Harney announced her intention to prohibit FGM in Ireland
  • AkiDwA established the Brain Gain Project,  a networking platform for  migrant professionals and  business people operating in Ireland
2008: AkiDwA establishes National Steering Committee to end Female Genital Mutilation
  • AkiDwA and IFPA establish the National Steering Committee to work together to end  Female Genital Mutilation.
  • AkiDwA developed and launched the Irish National Action Plan to address FGM in the country
  • AkiDwA  organised a Conference and exhibition  on Integration and Embracing Diversity
  • AkiDwA  provided support to  theWomen’s Enterprise Association of Rakai, Uganda
  • Implemented the women health project on  Ending FGM
2007: AkiDwA helps HSE to develop National Intercultural Strategy
  • AkiDwA CEO  is appointed to the Board  of Ireland’s Equality Authority in order  to represent  the interests of migrants
  • AkiDwA  makes a presentation on migrant issues to the Anti-Poverty Network in Brussels
  •  AkiDwA  published our  research on Black Irish Women in the Labour Market
  • AkiDwA gave a presentation on Race and Immigration in the New Ireland at the University of Notre Dame, USA, alongside  former President Mary Robinson
  • AkiDwA  makes a Submission to the Health Services Executive to help it develop Ireland’s  National Intercultural Strategy
  •  An AkiDwA project on domestic violence is  funded by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform (DJELR) resulting in  a workshop, and  the publication of our research
2006: AkiDwA becomes a registered charity
  • AkiDwA publishes a short book entitled Her Story: Migration Stories of African Women 
  • AkiDwA  organises a Conference entitled: Challenging the Invisibility of Black and Ethnic Minority Women in Ireland
  • AkiDwA partners with Business in the Community  (BiTC) and SPIRASI, to organise the  Employment for the Parents of Irish Citizens (EPIC) project 
2005: working on the National Action Plan against Racism
  • AkiDwA receives its first substantial funding from Social Entrepreneurs Ireland
  • AkiDwA’s first organisational structures, and policiesand strategic plan are developed
  • AkiDwA secures its very first office at the Dublin Central Mission
  • AkiDwA National Director Salome Mbugua presented a key note speech on Racism in the 21st Century: Implementing the National Action Plan against Racism at the landmark Croke Park Conference, which was organised by the NCCRI and many other  groups
  • Focus group discussions are held in Athlone with migrant women from FGM practising communities in order to gauge their understanding of FGM and to begin assessing the prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation  in Ireland
2004: AkiDwA lobbies against deportation of migrant parents of Irish Children
  • AkiDwA visits women  in Mountjoy Prison on International Women’s Day
  • AkiDwA initiates the ‘Coalition against the Deportation of Irish Children’ (CADIC) with Dr Ronit Lentin.
  • AkiDwA delivered training on capacity building to300 women in six counties
  • AkiDwA makes a submission to  the NGO alliance against racism
  • AkiDwA  contributes to the Second report of the International Convention on  the Elimination of all Forms of Racism
2003: AkiDwA is officially launched by Minister of State Tom Kitt
  • AkiDwA delivered training on the representation and participation to 374 migrant women.
  • AkiDwA  begins Outreach to migrant women in seventeen counties and conducts needs assessments with them
  • AkiDwA makes a presentation to the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women’s Rights on the Immigration Bill 2002 and on the implications of the Supreme Court judgement concerning the residency rights of migrant parents of Irish Citizens
2002: AkiDwA develops our first training package on racism
  • AkiDwA’s first training package Understanding Racism and its Effect in Society was developed and delivered to community groups and schools
  • AkiDwA  makes a submission to the Department of Justice Equality and Law Reform (DJELR) asking for a National Action Plan for Women
  • AkiDwA contributed to the National Women’s Council of Ireland’s anti-racism and women’s project, In from the Margin and delivered the keynote address at the  NWCI conference
  • AkiDwA produced our second training package on Race, Women and Cultural Diversity and delivered  it to indigenous and migrant women, in association with the Catherine McAuley Centre
  • AkiDwA  makes a  submission to the DJELR on the need for  Ireland to develop a National Action Plan against Racism together with the Catherine McAuley Centre and the Islamic Cultural  Centre of Ireland.
2001: AkiDwA helps to establish a networking platform for African Women in Dublin
  • Three open door meetings were held at Catherine McAuley Centre to develop support networks for migrant women
  • AkiDwA’s First social intercultural event was held at  the Irish Film Centre