Hodan Somali Community

Who we are

Hodan Somali Community is a community organisation that came together as an organisation following a period of sustained demand from the local Somali community in West London.  Hodan began to set up in mid-2005 and launched in February 2006 with a small grant from the Local Authority, providing a basic support service with volunteers.  Hodan has since grown and developed to meet the needs of the local communities, with a paid director and a solid volunteer base.

The number of people accessing our services has increased considerably since the launch of the organisation, and we have begun to diversify our target audience beyond the Somali community through our popular `Health Empowerment and Engagement Club for Women’ project, which attracts women from many ethnic groups. 

We work primarily with groups that are typically seen as `vulnerable’, especially single mothers and their children, the elderly, people with disabilities and/or mental health difficulties, and young people who are not in employment, education or training.

Yet we encourage people to look beyond these labels and see themselves in a positive light – as vast reservoirs of talent, wisdom, knowledge and enthusiasm, which they can use in moving forward on their own journeys and in supporting others.

Service users tell us that our services are an important bridge towards integration, understanding the UK systems, becoming more independent, feeling better about themselves and improving family relationships.

Our culture and values

Values of Hodan

• We value equality, interdependence, community integration and social cohesion
• We are committed to diversity and advocate social justice in all we do
• We make the most of our resources and deliver excellent value for money
• We put the needs of our users at the forefront of everything we do
• We ensure that services are co-designed with users, and everyone can share ideas
• We put evaluation and monitoring at the heart of our work, and constantly reassess our services
• We diversify our services by working in partnerships and collaborations
• We are responsive and flexible, and respond effectively to funding challenges

Somali cultural values shaping the work of Hodan

In addition to Hodan’s specific organisational values, our work is also strongly rooted in the values of the Somali community as a whole.  During consultations, Hodan service users identified these values as follows:

• Recognition that we are all interdependent
• Strong bonds of brotherhood between men, and sisterhood between women
• Sincere and spontaneous mutual support, especially in times of illness, financial hardship, or if someone dies
• Respect for the wisdom and life experience of older generations
• Raising children to understand, love and share their culture – including traditional Somali art forms (e.g. singing, dancing, poetry, knitting), knowledge of livestock and how to care for them, traditional food, clothing, and buildings

Equality, diversity and inclusion policy

Hodan Somali Community is committed to being an equal opportunities employer and an equal
opportunities service provider, to achieving equality of opportunity in every aspect of its own
work, and to promoting and campaigning for its realisation elsewhere.
We welcome the benefits that diversity brings, and are committed to creating a supportive and
inclusive culture among the whole workforce. As a result:
- We will make reasonable adjustments to what we do and how we do it, where
appropriate, to remove barriers that might prevent people from working for us
effectively or using services.
- Where appropriate, we use voluntary positive action to meet people’s needs.
- We are open to flexible working in relation to all positions, subject to the needs of the
organisation.
In the provision of employment, placements and services, we will treat everyone fairly and with
respect, including with regard to quality and availability of our services and resources. Every
volunteer, employee, applicant, consultant, Management Committee member and service
user will be respected and valued.