Mama Health and Poverty Partnership (MHAPP) Community Interest Company, Company Number 13857497, was founded in 2018. It is a collective of 10 independent organisations working with associate Black African women-led organisations across Greater Manchester and nearby areas.

Our work is grounded in community organising at the intersection of gender, racial and economic justice. We primarily support Black African women and girls in the UK with lived experience of marginalisation, inequality and disadvantage. Our shared purpose is to help create more equitable lives in which they feel connected, have their voices heard, and can access the support and opportunities they need to thrive.

Alongside this organising work, MHAPP designs and delivers culturally sensitive, people-centred, inclusive and accessible specialist services.

During the reporting year, our programmes improved wellbeing and emotional resilience, strengthened social and family connections, increased financial resilience, expanded access to employment, education and volunteering.

1. Partnership Hub Work

During the reporting year, the MHAPP focused on consolidating its work through the establishment of local hubs across Greater Manchester to create central points where people, services, resources and knowledge are centred to increase access, strengthen connections and improve outcomes. Through the Hub project, 9,384 women and girls accessed MHAPP services, activities and events delivered in Oldham, Rochdale, Bolton, Central Manchester, North Manchester, South Manchester & Stockport. The highlight of this initiative was officially launching 3 hubs (Oldham, Rochdale & South Manchester) with four more hubs to be launched in the next financial year.

Our impact included:

·9,384 women and girls reached through our hub services, activities & events.

·2,110 young people and girls that took part in our activities.

·47 women secured paid or voluntary work or starting a business after building confidence and skills and receiving support.

· All six core Mama hubs remained consistently active, with groups of 10 to 30 women with an additional newer hub emerging in Stockport due to increased demand.

· Repeat attendance was particularly strong in Oldham, Rochdale & South Manchester where hubs operate Monday to Friday.

·90% of women and girls attending the hubs accessed holistic services at their nearest hub, reducing the need to travel for specialist support.

·95% of participating women reported improved overall wellbeing and greater awareness of services available in their communities.

·75% of women accessing the hubs improved their understanding of personal finances and gained information about benefits and employment opportunities.

·At least 85% of participating women increased their financial resilience, measured by a better ability to understand and manage household expenses and maximise their incomes. Money Matters workshops and one-to-one sessions supported this outcome.

·60% of participating women reported better access to employment, education and volunteering, together with greater knowledge and skills to support economic independence.

These outcomes show the value of accessible, culturally appropriate support in trusted community settings. By bringing services closer to women and their families, the hubs reduce barriers and strengthen links to wider community services and opportunities.

2. WENDI Programme – Amplifying Women's Voices and Lived Experiences

Through Project WENDI, MHAPP reached 254 women of Black African heritage across Greater Manchester, creating opportunities for women whose voices are often overlooked to share their lived experiences and contribute to conversations about the inequalities affecting their lives.

The programme provided a platform for women to discuss challenges relating to poverty, migration, discrimination, access to healthcare, emotional wellbeing and wider socioeconomic disadvantages.

Through storytelling, community engagement and lived-experience discussions, MHAPP created opportunities for women to speak openly about the barriers they encounter and the changes they would like to see within services and wider systems.

A key strength of WENDI has been its emphasis on recognising women as experts in their own experiences, rather than simply as recipients of support. Their stories provide valuable insights into the realities of inequality and the importance of developing services and policies that are informed by communities themselves.

WENDI has reinforced the importance of creating safe, trusted spaces where women's voices are valued, their experiences acknowledged and their contributions recognised as essential to achieving meaningful and sustainable change.

3. USTAWI Programme – Culturally Responsive Counselling, Psychotherapy and Group Therapy

This programme is supported through NHS collaboration. USTAWI programme strengthens links between communities and formal services while making support more culturally responsive and accessible.

The programme has continued to be a significant part of our work in addressing emotional wellbeing inequalities experienced by Black African women, particularly those affected by migration, displacement, trauma, poverty, social isolation and cultural barriers to accessing mainstream services.

During the reporting period, working collaboratively across 10 MHAPP partner organisations, 200 women were supported through culturally sensitive, trauma-informed group therapy.

These sessions provided safe, welcoming and supportive environments where women could share their experiences, explore emotional challenges, develop coping strategies, strengthen their confidence and build meaningful connections with others.

Alongside the group therapy programme, 50 women received individual one-to-one counselling and psychotherapy, providing personalised therapeutic support for women experiencing trauma, emotional distress and other complex psychological challenges.

Our approach recognises that emotional wellbeing cannot be separated from women's cultural identities, lived experiences and wider social circumstances. MHAPP therefore places significant emphasis on trust, confidentiality, cultural understanding, psychological safety and person-centred therapeutic relationships.

Through our community-based delivery model, we have sought to reduce barriers associated with stigma, cultural misunderstanding, mistrust of statutory services and difficulties accessing appropriate psychological support.

One of USTAWI's greatest strengths has been bringing professional therapeutic interventions closer to communities while integrating peer support, shared lived experiences and culturally responsive practice. The programme offers women a space to speak openly without fear of judgement, stigma or misunderstanding. Their identities, cultures and lived experiences are recognised and respected as integral to their wellbeing.

This work continues to demonstrate the importance of investing in culturally appropriate counselling and psychotherapy, particularly for women whose needs may otherwise remain unmet within mainstream provision.

4. Peer Support Worker and Peer Supervision Training Initiatives – Developing a Culturally Responsive Workforce

Another important area of our work during the reporting year has been strengthening the capacity of MHAPP partner organisations through the Peer Support Worker and Peer Supervision Training Programme. This was enabled by funding from NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board.

During this period 16 individuals were trained, 10 team members enrolled on the Imroc's Level 3 Peer Support Worker qualification programme, while six members enrolled on Peer Supervision training.

This initiative represents an important investment in developing a skilled, culturally responsive community workforce that understands the experiences, identities and needs of the communities we serve.

The Peer Support Worker training focused on the value of lived experience, recovery-oriented practice, effective communication, professional boundaries, safeguarding and supporting individuals to take greater ownership of their wellbeing and recovery journeys.

The Peer Supervision training strengthened our capacity to provide reflective, supportive and recovery-focused supervision, recognising the unique challenges faced by peer workers who draw on their personal experiences to support others.

An important aspect of this initiative has been supporting participants to understand the distinction between traditional support roles and peer support, where mutuality, shared lived experience, hope, empowerment and recovery are central to practice.

One of the most valuable contributions of this programme has been the opportunity to bridge the gap between formal health systems and grassroots community organisations.

By investing in the skills and professional development of people already trusted within their communities, MHAPP is helping to build a more inclusive, sustainable and culturally responsive approach to emotional wellbeing support.

This initiative strengthened organisational capacity, supported workforce development and contributed to wider efforts to embed lived experience within health and wellbeing services.

5. Pan-Greater Manchester Live Well Movement – Community Leadership, Influence and System Change

During the reporting period, MHAPP has been actively involved in the wider pan-Greater Manchester Live Well Movement, contributing to conversations, partnerships and strategic developments aimed at ensuring that Live Well remains community-led, with community voices, experiences and priorities at the forefront of decision-making.

MHAPP alongside other stakeholders has contributed to shaping and influencing the movement, advocating for communities, particularly those experiencing health inequalities, poverty, marginalisation and barriers to accessing services, to be recognised as equal partners in developing solutions.

We have participated in and been represented at community events, engagement activities and strategic discussions focusing on community health, community wealth, community action, community support and community power.

These opportunities have enabled us to bring the perspectives of grassroots organisations and the women and families we support into wider Greater Manchester conversations about health, wellbeing, social justice and community development.

MHAPP has worked to strengthen connections between grassroots communities and strategic decision-makers, advocating for community knowledge and lived experience to influence priorities, policies, resource allocation and service development. This contribution to Live Well reflects MHAPP's wider commitment to challenging inequalities, strengthening community leadership and ensuring that systems work with communities rather than simply delivering services to them.

6.Power to Prosper Programme

Power to Prosper is a national programme focused on addressing the root causes of poverty, inequality and debt by shifting power towards the people and communities most affected by these issues. Power to Prosper runs regional hubs in Nottingham, Greater Manchester, Lambeth and Newham. The Greater Manchester hub is led & hosted by Mama health and Poverty Partnership providing space where Black and Racially minoritised communities are using their lived experiences to tackle the root causes of poverty and debt and also acts as an incubator for organising, leadership growth and advocacy.

During the reporting year, MHAPP working with over 200 community members was actively involved in various events and engagements as part of the Power to Prosper programme, including training in community organising, contributing to the research on the Drivers of Debt amongst Black and Racially Minoritised communities, advocating for creation of pathways into better employment for marginalised communities and community wealth initiatives.

7. GM Living Income Work

MHAPP is one of the 4 coalition organisations that make up the GMLI steering group, who came together in 2022 to explore a Living Income pilot in Greater Manchester, and coordinate efforts of people in communities across Greater Manchester. During the reporting year, efforts of engaging with communities continued successfully across the partnership communities reaching over 400 individuals some of whom participated in the launch and continue to be involved in the Living Income conversations. Two of the partner leaders sit on the GM Living Income Steering Group & GM Living Income Implementation Committee that is working towards making a Living Income Pilot a reality in Greater Manchester.

8. Events: International Women's Day Celebration, Black History Events, GMLI local events & Hub Launches

MHAPP organised and hosted various events during the course of the reporting year that brought over 400 attendees. This also included recognising the valuable contributions of all volunteers across the partnership with 10 volunteers given awards in recognition for their contribution to the work of MHAPP. Three MHAPP Hubs (Oldham, Rochdale & South Manchester) were also officially launched during the course of the reporting year, bringing together local community members & leaders.

9. Overall Community Benefit – Community Impact, Partnership Working and Sustainable Change

During the reporting year February 2025 and January 2026, MHAPP's greatest strengths has been the ability to bring together grassroots organisations, professional expertise and lived experience to respond to the needs of communities who are frequently underserved by mainstream systems.

MHAPP programmes have provided accessible and culturally responsive support to Black African women, girls, young people and their communities. Our activities have addressed interconnected challenges relating to mental health, poverty, financial insecurity, social isolation, employment and systemic inequality.

The community benefited through improved access to trusted local support, increased wellbeing and emotional resilience, greater financial knowledge and resilience, enhanced skills and confidence, and improved access to employment, education and volunteering opportunities.

Alongside these direct benefits, our community organising, storytelling and advocacy work helped create opportunities for Black African women lived experiences and voices to inform conversations about services, policies and systems affecting their communities.

Our approach recognises women and girls not simply as recipients of services, but as active participants in identifying solutions, strengthening their communities and contributing to positive social change.

Together, these initiatives demonstrate that meaningful community wellbeing is not achieved through isolated interventions alone. It requires trusted relationships, partnership working, investment in community capacity and a willingness for systems to listen, learn and share power with the communities they serve.

MHAPP's key stakeholder group continues to be made up of the 10 MHAPP partner organisations that regularly meet to support various aspects of the organisation's development (30 in-person & virtual meetings in total). Additionally, every beginning of the financial year, leaders of these organisations hold strategic away days to review, map and reflect on the journey and impact of MHAPP work. This was done in February 2025. The outcomes of all these strategic meetings shape the strategic direction and actions of MHAPP core activities. Meeting spaces also enable learning, good practice and planning of future strategic work.