Moving to a foreign country at the age of just 17 is a frightening experience, but Laila is not easily scared. Like many of the women we meet at the City Gateway Women’s Project, Laila moved to England with little grasp of English and low levels of self-confidence; she is hardly recognisable now, as an independent confident woman. Laila is an overcomer, an outstanding achiever, and an impressive example to other women in Tower Hamlets.

In 1994 Laila left Bangladesh to embark on a new life with her husband in England. Despite having travelled more than 7,000 miles Laila’s experience of living in London was limited; she rarely left the house and could not even board a bus without her husband by her side. Living like this left Laila feeling restricted; in her own words, ‘Days were very long and boring. I wasn’t very happy and felt lonely.’ Laila’s isolation and loneliness was fuelled by her lack of confidence in speaking English. This meant she struggled even with everyday tasks like going to the GP. But Laila is proactive, she had a dream to learn English and City Gateway helped her achieve it.

Laila attended City Gateway Women’s Project; located amongst the local community in Tower Hamlets, within walking distance of many isolated women. She took part in several courses such as English for Speakers of Other Languages and our Public Speaking programme. The provision of a crèche on site enabled Laila to attend these courses which, in turn, helped her to grow in confidence and develop her knowledge of English. Laila’s new English skills enabled her to help her children with their homework and understand what the  GP was saying. Her knowledge of IT, which she also learned on the Women’s Project means that, on occasion, she knows more about computers than her 14-year old son. 

As part of her training Laila embarked on 16 months of apprenticeships both at the Abbey Project and for City Gateway. Here she learnt to become more independent, gaining both a knowledge of the local bus networks, which have broadened her horizons, and growing in confidence, talking to people in the local community. Laila thanks City Gateway for helping her ‘gain courage in life’.

Laila also worked as an outreach worker in some of the most deprived areas of Tower Hamlets; meeting other women who are isolated like she had been. Laila was very successful in this post; she encouraged more than 100 people to join City Gateway projects such as Keep Fit, IT courses, and English for Speakers of Other Languages. She has made a real difference to many women by introducing them to the City Gateway Women’s Project.

Juggling being a wife and mother to five children, alongside work has been quite a challenge; but Laila has risen to it admirably. In her own words, ‘It was important for me to show my husband that I could manage both home and work so that he would allow me to continue my apprenticeship. I worked very hard.’ That determination has been evident to both other women and staff who have been inspired by her.

Laila has already moved beyond the bounds of the project and has secured herself a job as a midday meal supervisor. She relishes the opportunity to spend time serving the children and is, quite rightly, proud of her success in securing the job; even standing before men on the interview panel. Laila’s determination has secured her dream of learning English and getting a job. It has certainly been worth all the hard work and she is an excellent role model to other women who want to grow in confidence and independence.

Many women in Tower Hamlets, like Laila, are overcoming great obstacles; and at the City Gateway Women’s Project we are working with more of them than ever before. As they grow in independence and learn new skills they are keen to practice in a real work environment. Why not take one of them on as an apprentice? To find out more click here.