Coordinator By Dr I. Al‑Farah, SNS Coordinator On Saturday, 23 May 2026, women from across the UK gathered in Manchester for the Sisters Not Strangers (SNS) Right to Heal Conference, hosted in partnership with Women Asylum Seekers Together (WAST) Manchester. The conference brought together women seeking asylum, refugee-background women, practitioners, allies, and supporters for a day focused on healing, dignity, wellbeing, solidarity, and collective care within the asylu

For us, mental health is not an abstract issue. It is not only about individual wellbeing, self-care, or encouraging people to talk. These things matter, but for women seeking asylum, mental health is also shaped by the systems they are forced to live within.

On 12 March 2026, Sisters Not Strangers and City of Sanctuary Sheffield hosted a women only International Women’s Day gathering at the City of Sanctuary Sheffield venue. The event was hosted locally by the DEWA team, representing Sisters Not Strangers in Sheffield as one of the coalition’s seven member organisations across England and Wales. Eighty-six women and children attended. It was a social evening rooted in connection, joy, and the simple but powerful experience of wom