READ THE FULL PIECE: Inside Project Noor

Middle Eastern refugee women often arrive to the UK with no previous work experience. This is a major challenge that intersects with many others, such as language barriers, caretaking responsibilities, and difficulty navigating new systems and cultural norms. Refugee women also often struggle with their mental health and wellbeing, especially in the face of the isolation, stigma, and discrimination of day-to-day life.

At the SHM Foundation, we believe that every person deserves to receive the support they need, wherever they are, in the ways that work for them.

With this in mind, we launched Project Noor in 2021 in partnership with The Max Barney Foundation, with the aim of responding to the unique needs, challenges, and aspirations of Middle Eastern refugee women.

Providing support to a demographic facing such unique challenges, and measuring the impact of this support, are not simple tasks.

In this report, our team shares the insights we gained throughout this pilot, which was grounded in a belief in the power of the personal and the importance of reimagining how impact is defined and captured.

Learn about Project Noor’s tailored, flexible and sensitive support plans that considered refugee women’s challenges holistically; and how the team carefully accounted for every participant’s individual journey when assessing the impact of the pilot.

Read the full piece here: Inside Project Noor