Our Stories:
Meet Tashi

“I’ve always being a champion of BHI and the work it does. I was about 21 when I first joined BHI as an administrative assistant, then project lead. When the funding ran out, I took a different course, but I’ve recently come back. 

We’ve had two crises within the organisation. We lost Bridget, our operational manager, and then sadly lost Heather in June 2023. When I heard, my immediate reaction was to reach out to the organisation. My background is international crisis disaster management, so naturally that crisis management hat came on. I wanted to make sure the charity was in a strong position, despite the situation. 

It’s been challenging, but I’m keen to make sure that we’re building our relationship with the community and reassuring them that we’re still going strong. We’ve got big, ambitious plans. We might not achieve all the things that we set out to, but if we even achieve half of them, we’ve done a fantastic job. 

Without resources and funds, and support from funders, we’re limited in what we can do and the people we can help. We need flexibility. We might get funding for healthy eating and feeding young people and families, but we see there’s more complex issues – debt management, substance misuse, past trauma. Life isn’t restricted. Things happen that don’t meet the criteria, and if the funding’s restricted, it limits what we can do. It’s really important to have more unrestricted funds.” 

Black Health Initiative works with disadvantaged and marginalised communities across Leeds to promote equality of access to education, health and social care. Funding from Leeds Community Foundation has supported a range of their activities, including mental health work and support for the organisation’s strategic development. 

If you want to play your part in supporting brilliant local Community Organisations like Black Health Initiative, learn how you can support us, or reach out at info@leedscf.org.uk.