When I chose the name Misaada for You, I didn’t just want something that sounded meaningful. I wanted a name that carried meaning. In Swahili, Misaada means support, but for me, it has always meant something far more profound. It means walking with someone, not ahead or behind them. It means recognising the whole person, not just their problems. And above all, it means believing in someone’s potential to rebuild, heal, and thrive, if only they are given the space and respect to do so.

Lived Experience at the Core

As a registered social worker with over 15 years in frontline care and as a mother of a child with special needs, I have lived both sides of the system. I have been the professional — holding cases, writing assessments, making safeguarding referrals. But I have also been the parent — in waiting rooms, filling in benefit forms, trying to stay strong when the system felt too overwhelming.

It is from this intersection of experience and empathy that Misaada for You was born.

Too often, support in our sector is designed for people, not with them. It comes with conditions, deadlines, and assumptions. But real support, meaningful support, is relational. It listens before it acts. It adapts. It sees each person as worthy of dignity, regardless of their background or legal status.

What Research Tells Us About Support and Dignity

Studies from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Equality and Human Rights Commission have repeatedly shown that people facing hardship, especially migrants, refugees, and carers, experience service systems that are confusing, culturally insensitive, and underfunded. Many report feeling judged, dismissed, or processed.

According to the British Red Cross, a lack of dignified, trauma-informed support is one of the top barriers to integration for newly arrived migrants. Similarly, research by NHS Digital and Mind UK shows that people from minoritised backgrounds are less likely to access or complete mental health support due to fear of not being understood or respected.

Misaada for You exists to fill this gap — not just with services, but with solidarity.

What Does Support With Dignity Look Like?

At Misaada for You, support means:

• Culturally informed advice that honours a person’s identity and context
• Emotional presence, not just task completion
• Support at the margins, for those who are excluded, mislabelled, or unheard
• Holistic care, addressing legal, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being
• Peer-led interventions that foster empathy and connection

We know from practice and evidence that when people feel seen and respected, they are more likely to engage in support, make sustainable decisions, and rebuild trust in systems that may have failed them before.

A Name, A Promise

Every time someone walks through our door — whether a mother fleeing domestic violence, a carer feeling invisible, or a migrant worker confused by a legal letter — they are not met with judgment. They are met with understanding.

“Real support doesn’t just respond to problems. It sees the person behind the issue and asks: how can we help you thrive?”

That’s what Misaada means to me. And I hope it’s what it will come to mean to every person we support.

With love and solidarity,
Mercy Nzuruba
Founder, Misaada for You