Multi-Ethnic Sports & Cultures NI (MSCNI) Covid-19 Support efforts In supporting BAME communities

Multi-ethnic sports & cultures NI(MSCNI) is a registered charity organisation, Central body of the BAME sports and cultural platform established under the relevant laws of the Northern Ireland since 2016. One of our purpose is to use sporting and social-cultural activities as an effective way of uniting people irrespective of their race, color, sex, or origin. And to integrate and socialize, promote cross-community relations, good relation & healthy lifestyle, and well-being.

Before the current pandemic, a lot of our community members isolated themselves away from each other but with our sporting activities and programs they were coming together but now that the current pandemic is happening, and we remain in lock down it has returned to them isolating themselves affecting their mental health and well-being as they are unable to travel to see others from their communities, members of them families back home in their home countries and to engage in any form of physical activity.

COVID Fund - Stay Active Stay Creative - Funded by Community Foundation NI

• Activity fun packs which included sporting games both indoors and outdoors
• Activity Pack filled with arts and crafts materials
• Internet Dongles
• Sporting Inflatables

YOU ARE NOT ALONE in tackling COVID-19 isolation - Forward South Partnership & Belfast City Council

• Project which comprised of many activities which enabled us to break the barriers of isolation and increase participation, it also encouraged kids and their parents to communicate and complete tasks together as a families and become more involved, helped struggling families with food parcels and necessities.

New Needs Fund - Supported and Funded by Community Foundation NI over a 3 month Period:

• Food Packs
• Toiletry Packs
• Mobile/Gas/ Electric Top ups
• Mental Health Workshop
• Youth Leadership Workshop
• Capacity Building Workshop
• Provision of Android Tablet - 16 Tablet

All of which over 200 families benefited.

Summer Nutrition Project - Supported and funded by Radius Housing and Forward South Partnership

• Summer nutrition recipes where each family was provided with ingredients to prepare healthy nutritious meals. For 4 weeks in which 15 families benefited each week.

Activity Fun day to The Jungle NI - Funded by Belfast City Council where 50 youths and their families enjoyed a day out to benefit their mental health and to keep their minds active.

Our Journey, Our Lives, Our Cultures in commemoration of good relations week- Funded by Community relations NI.

• Where we had performing art and dance, storytelling from individuals from diverse communities telling their stories and journey in Northern Ireland,
• BME youth’s engagement discussion
• football tournament among 10 diverse teams and teams from local community promoting good relations work and building relationships.

Department for Communities Small Capital Grants Programme Contract for Funding

• Funding received to update our sporting equipment
• Provision of a sound system and wireless microphone wish is portable to bring to all events.
• Provision of laptops and printing equipment for our office to allow members to support members of our BAME communities.

Currently, we have provided more than 200 children with back to school essential packs 45 families with lunch pack for children going to school and laptops which are being distributed and shared within communities to enable children to complete schoolwork online. This will continue for the next 4 months this is being supported and funded by Community Foundation and Comic Relief.

We are also working alongside Ulster GAA, IFA and Ulster Rugby providing a 6-week sporting program for Ethnic Minority Communities to encourage their participation in different local sports. We are recently completed 7 weeks connect program for the youth in collaboration with Irish FA and South Belfast Alternatives we used this program to connect youths from diverse backgrounds promoting cross-communities and friendships.

So far, we have helped over 500 families across the whole of Belfast during this pandemic.

In carrying out these project MSCNI chairperson/ Founder Mr Jahswill Emmanuel has been recognized and awarded for his outstanding volunteer work during the Covid-19 pandemic. He was awarded:

• Highly commended for his Good Relations work by Community Relations Council for his outstanding Good Relations work and bringing diverse communities together through sports and physical activities.
• Sports NI Volunteers of the Year award 2020 - For his outstanding volunteer work and working hard to continue to support BAME communities in the fight against Covid-19.

With the pandemic still in our midst we are still facing many challenges and concerns for our BAME communities:

Our main challenges now are:

• Mental state of BAME members continually remain effected.
• Our youth remain unactive due to closure of centres and pitches and the failure to provide sporting programs and physical activities.
• Due to recent surveys in which we have carried out during all our projects we have identified that COVID-19 has really impacted black and ethnic minority communities as due to loss of jobs they are struggling to support and provide for their families. There are things out there that members need but we cannot provide due to limited funding.
• We have many members of the public and BAME communities reaching out for help but again due to limited funding there are only so many families we can provide.
• Families remain isolated and financially unstable.

We will continue to do everything in our power to support and provide for many of our BAME families until we can no more, we are forever grateful for the funding and support that we have currently received but as an organisation we feel that there needs to be more funding support for smaller organisations made accessible with limited requirements to enable them to bounce back next year and continue with various activities and good relations work within the community.

For further updates and information:

Email: info@mscni.org

Facebook: MSCNI

Twitter: MSCNI16

Instagram: MSCNI_OFFICIAL1