Group providing wellbeing and 'second home' for elderly Asian women in Northampton could shut down

Dostiyo, in The Mounts, is now only open two days a week for daycare - and is ran by 40 volunteers who cook for eachother. Previously it was open five days a week for daycare.

Dostiyo, in The Mounts, sees 60 women pass through it’s doors for the voluntary daycare groups every Wednesday and Friday.

Here they can access keep fit classes, lunch clubs, and a 'conversation cafe' is hosted for women who speak Hindi, Punjabi, Gujarati, Bengali and Sylheti, and want to learn English.

The group has acted as a second home for Asian women aged 60 plus for 40 years and has given hundreds of isolated women a reason to smile again.

The 'conversation cafe' teaches women English.

Not only has the centre been fundamental in helping with breaking down cultural barriers but Dostiyo has helped women integrate into their new community, find new friends and learn a new language.

On one occasion Dostiyo reached out to emergency services overseas to intervene in a forced marriage and helped a soon-to-be bride, who was travelling to live in a different country, return home.

But all this could change if a three-year Social Wellbeing Contract - which is currently funded through Northamptonshire County Council's Public Health pot - is not replaced at the end of March 2020 (previously reported here).

It's not just Dostiyo who could be affected.

Ladies get to learn Tai Chi and yoga at the centre which improves their mental and physical health.

Eleven other voluntary groups in Northamptonshire, including Northamptonshire Age UK, could also lose their funding if it's not renewed by the county council, leaving 3,500 people countywide receiving no support.

In an open letter sent to Northamptonshire County Council's chief executive, Theresa Grant, the voluntary organisations said they have now achieved even better value for money after the overall contract has reduced in value from £2.6 million in 2016 to £1.6 million in 2018.

Centre manager, Deepa Bakrania, has been working at Dostiyo for 15 years.She fears for the worst if the money is not replaced.

She said: "If we do lose this funding it means this centre will not operate and this service will shut down.

Dostiyo has been instrumental in forging new friendships among the centre-goers.

“They will have no place to go to. They feel that this is their second home, it’s been here for 40 years.

"Here, they have started making peer groups and they support people who might be in the hospital. They will cook for them and take it in turns to sit next to their bed and chat with them and that’s because they come here."

Aside from the daycare centre, it also runs a 12-week counselling service, puts on Macmillan support groups, arranges hearing checks, does important advocacy work, gives CV help and nutritional advice - just to list a few.

Deepa added: "We have got all these communities accessing this one centre where we help with integration and cultural support.

Sixty women attend each session, either on Wednesday or Friday. Other support sessions take place throughout the week.

"And, for a tiny amount of money, the amount of services we provide as part of the voluntary sector are far more vast than any other specialist centres providing one thing.

"As the voluntary sector we engage with a lot of services and bring them here and that’s all value added."

Last year Dostiyo, who also run a community group in Wellingborough, lost their funding for Kettering and Corby.

Deepa said: "Some ladies suffer with really low self-esteem.

"They come to our country, which is completley different, they don’t know the culture and suddenly they are in this place with a new family and they are married.

"It affects their confidence walking out of the house which they could do back home. It has so many knock on effects.

“This is where the voluntary sector is key for support."