About Us
Empowering the Somali Community
iSHA’s mission is to empower the Somali community to make better-informed decisions about their health. We envision iSHA to be a source of trustworthy health information for Somali people worldwide, helping each and every one of our people improve their health literacy.
Our Story
According to the Office for National Statistics, there are approximately 108,000 Somali people living in the UK as of 2018. Somali people are at higher risk for developing Covid-19 amongst other diseases such as CVD and diabetes. Despite this, there are barely any research articles highlighting this.
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iSHA is a non-profit organisation that aims to improve health awareness through three programmes: an educational programme aimed at disseminating informative health content on social media platforms and holding outreach events, a research programme aimed at producing high-quality research regarding health literacy within the Somali community, and finally an advocacy programme aimed at providing a space for the Somali community to share their stories with us.
Who We Are
Our Mission
EDUCATION
“Disseminating informative health content on social media platforms, and holding outreach events.”
Our educational programme consists of engaging videos, health facts, articles, webinars and interviews. We are also planning a series of hybrid (in-person and online) outreach events and would like to provide a platform for Somali academics and professionals to reach their community. You can register your interest as either an attendee or speaker via the contact us page.
RESEARCH
“Producing high-quality research regarding health literacy within the Somali community.”
We want to understand some of the barriers the Somali community face with regard to accessing health information. We are currently conducting a survey in the UK. To find out more about how you can get involved, email us at: contact@improvingsomalihealthawareness.org
ADVOCACY
“Providing a space for the Somali community to share their stories with us.”
Whether you are someone who feels unheard or discriminated against by their healthcare provider, or a Somali doctor frustrated by the lack of medicine available to your patients, we would like to listen. iSHA aims to create a safe space for Somali people around the world to share their stories with us, with the vision of having their concerns, views and wishes heard. By doing so, we hope to increase awareness of the medical/health struggles our community faces on an international level. You can read about our latest stories on our Blog. If you would like to reach out to us, you can do so by emailing: contact@improvingsomalihealthawareness.org
See our previous collaborators
Fatima Addan
MHRA, Clinical Study Manager at Clinical Practice Research Datalink
Dr Aayesha Hassan
Ph.D. MRes. Immunology, Allergy & Public Health Research
Dr Samira Hassan
Family Medicine, Palliative care, Women's health, Global health
Dr Yusra Ahmed
Ph.D. Medical Sciences
Interested in collaborating with us? We'd love to hear from you!
Get To Know Us
Our Team
Zainab
President &
Co-Founder
Abdirauf
Content Creator
Fatumah
Vice President &
Co-Founder
Jacfar
Social Media Manager
Nasra
Research & Outreach
Co-ordinator
Ahmed
Medical Journalist