Caribbean and African Health Network (CAHN) are a Black-led organisation set up in 2017 in Greater Manchester to address long standing health disparities within the community. CAHN have a clear mission to ensure that the actions of health service providers lead to racial and social just for Black people, seeking to influence policy and practice to ensure equity and equality. The group runs various community-facing services including: Black led counselling, Green & Arts well-being, and advocacy services – with the projects and programmes all being co-designed by community group members. They also host an annual Windrush day, helping to raises awareness and celebrate the contribution of the Windrush generation to the NHS. Events such as these not only bring people together to celebrate diverse cultures, but also help individuals to form new friendships and reduce social isolation. During Covid-19, they group played a large role in supporting Caribbean and African communities, organising online workshops and events to educate attendees on the importance of self-care. This was particularly important within the community during lockdown, due to proven statistics that people from minority backgrounds are far less likely to access hospital care. CAHN also provided community groups with ethnic foods to distribute to vulnerable members during the pandemic and offered counselling services in response to Covid-19 to help individuals in the community cope. The Caribbean and African Health Network also focus on the fact that large sections of the community are migrants and therefore their first language is not English. With this knowledge, they dedicate time to explain UK Government, NHS, and Public Health England messages to members of the group. Their vision is to eradicate health disparities and the wider social determinants by creating a social movement and building community resilience. It is always worth remembering that, if you support Forever Manchester, you support all this. The ability of local community groups and organisations to best help people in their community remains dependant on maintaining support for them. To find out more about how you can get support Forever Manchester please email us at marketing@forevermanchester.com or telephone on 0161 214 0940.
