Healthy Heart, Healthy You - an awareness event for Afghan women
The aim was to increase awareness of local health services and provide a safe, welcoming space where women could engage directly with service providers, ask questions, and access information that might otherwise be difficult to obtain. The event was designed to meet the women both culturally and linguistically.
Find out more about Healthwatch Swindon.
What we did
We welcomed 15 Afghan women to the event, which featured seven information stalls from various health and community services. Recognising the significant language barriers, we were supported by five translators - who played a vital role in facilitating communication throughout the day.
The event began with a presentation introducing Healthwatch Swindon, our mission, and the types of support and information available. Our Development Officer Josephine delivered the presentation alongside a translator, with slides shown in both English and Dari.
Following this, we shared NHS-provided slides on high blood pressure (also called hypertension), covering what it is, risk factors, how to get it checked, and ways to manage it. When asked about their understanding of high blood pressure, the women responded with “if it is too high it is bad,” indicating they would benefit from more awareness of prevention and management strategies.
Stalls and services present
The following organisations hosted stalls and provided information:
- Live Well Swindon – Healthy eating and cancer awareness
- Changing Suits – Exercise, community classes, and domestic abuse support
- Great Western Hospital (NHS) – Overview of NHS services and how the UK health system works
- NHS Maternity Team – Information on maternity services and support
- Healthwatch Swindon – General health and social care signposting, and feedback collection
- Swindon Borough Council – Healthy Start team support
- WESTROP Medical Practice – blood pressure check
What we heard
Feedback from the women was overwhelmingly positive. They all agreed that the event was useful, liked how inclusive the event was, and felt it covered a lot of areas they wanted information on - particularly with the maternity and blood pressure sessions.
One midwife from Great Western Hospital raised an important point about Martha’s Rule (also called 'Call for Concern'), suggesting that future events should include information on how to use it. She noted that many individuals from migrant communities lack the confidence or knowledge to speak up and could benefit greatly from understanding this patient safety initiative.
Several women shared concerns about access to healthcare services. Nine women spoken to reported waiting one month or more for a GP appointment.
Of the three women asked, none were familiar with NHS 111 or the services available at pharmacies through the Pharmacy First scheme.
Women's stories
Two sisters arrived in the UK under a resettlement scheme. The younger sister, fluent in English, volunteered as a translator during the event. In contrast, the older sister, who spoke no English, shared (via her sister) that finding employment has been extremely difficult.
The difference in language proficiency stemmed from their circumstances: the older sister has been working extensively to raise funds to bring her husband from Afghanistan, leaving little time to learn English, while the younger sister attended college and acquired the language more easily. This example underscored the significant barriers that language can pose to integration and opportunity.
Feedback from stallholders
Service providers gave positive feedback, including how future events could be improved - particularly around engagement strategies. Where we have used translation apps in the past to support 1:1 conversations, with non-English speaking individuals, in a group setting with multiple conversations taking place this proved ineffective and created more barriers.
Thank you very much for having us at your event. We gained valuable insights from your attendees about our service. Please do think of us if you are running any similar events in the future.
How would you rate your overall experience at today’s event?
Next steps
The women expressed strong interest in attending similar events in the future. Building on this feedback, we plan to organise additional health awareness sessions tailored to other migrant communities, ensuring that the content reflects their unique needs and experiences. For the Afghan community specifically, we will host follow-up events to deepen engagement and reinforce trust.
For future events, the women agreed they would attend something similar again and proposed including men or having a separate event just for Afghan men.
We recognise the importance of the community voice and will incorporate this recommendation to support Afghan men into our future engagement strategy – either through inclusive events or dedicated sessions. We are committed to fostering a broader community interest in shared learning and dialogue for better health outcomes.
Moving forward, we want to broaden the scope of future sessions, with a particular focus on mental health. This will be guided by ongoing conversations with community members to ensure relevance and cultural sensitivity. By centring community voices in the planning and delivery of these events, we hope to build lasting relationships, empower individuals, and support migrant communities in accessing the health information and services they need.
We would like to extend a special thanks to everyone who volunteered their time to help make the session a success.
