Zenebu is a refugee from Ethiopia who has made Huddersfield her home since
1999. For the past 15 years Zenebu has supported women and organised groups here at WomenCentre in Kirklees. She brings to the centre and to all the staff, volunteers and women her a sense of calm, determination, strength and love, along with a wealth of lived experience. She is so welcoming and supportive of others despite her own difficult journey.
She is a true shining star and an inspiration to so many.
Since coming here, she has made and, indeed, continues to make a
significant contribution to public life in Huddersfield. In particular, she has made a distinctive and outstanding difference to the lives of people seeking asylum, refugees and migrants in the town. She has dedicated herself to enhancing the benefits that migration brings to Huddersfield and to creating opportunities to ensure Huddersfield continues to be a welcoming community.
Zenebu has a Master of Arts in Education from Minsk Institute of Culture (former USSR) and is, therefore, a Russian speaker. The importance of this was
foregrounded most recently in the key role she played in the rapid response to
the war in Ukraine. Working in the Huddersfield Ukraine Club, she provided a
vital interpreting service as well as offering support to newly arrived women
with their mental health and wellbeing. This meant that traumatised women
received the language support, respect and care they needed to re-build their
lives in Huddersfield.
During the Covid -19 pandemic, Zenebu worked alongside Kirklees Council as
part of the ‘Every Vaccination Matters’ programme to combat COVID-19 and
help Kirklees communities stay healthy and safe. For this crucial life-saving work, she was awarded a Community Champion award by Third Sector Leaders/ KMC in 2022.
Zenebu has worked in Huddersfield town centre as a part-time
mental health and wellbeing worker for WomenCentre, offering peer support
for women seeking asylum, refugees and new migrants. As Well as ensuring
women know their rights, Zenebu helps women access support from the local
council, voluntary and faith sectors so that they can better support themselves
and their families.
Fifteen years ago, she established the Women Together group, which was to support women who had experienced FGM. The group is still running in a different form today.
Prior to working at the Kirklees WomenCentre, Zenebu worked at Kirklees
College as a Student Development Officer for refugees and people seeking
asylum.
Zenebu has also a wide and diverse range of experiences as a volunteer, working with women in community settings in Huddersfield: Sudanese women’s group at the Chestnut Centre; Ethiopian and Eritrean women at St Thomas Church, and African women at the African Welcome group based at St Patrick community centre.
She has been formally invited to take on a number of prestigious leadership
roles. For example, she has been the Chair or board member for several
community groups in Kirklees, including KRAFT (Kirklees Refugee and Asylum
Friends Together); the Ethiopian and Eritrean Group; African Together Group;
and Cultures United.
She has also worked for many years as an interpreter for the wider Ethiopian
and other Black and Minority Ethnic communities in the Yorkshire and Humber
region. Having a good working knowledge of so many languages has been a huge advantage when communicating with people from different cultures and social backgrounds.
This work has included interpreting for survivors of torture and Zenebu has worked tirelessly to ensure sensitive and culturally aware translation of extremely painful and traumatic events and that survivors are able to access the health, psychological and legal supports and services required.
Since 2010, Zenebu has been a Trustee and the Chairperson for the Ethiopian
Orthodox Church in the UK. This is a national role and has included the trustees purchasing a church in Huddersfield which will be used for community worship and wider community activities for people from across the UK. Zenebu has an international profile arising from the strong ties she has
developed over decades, between the UK and Ethiopia. For example, supported by the British Council (Official Development Assistance-UK) and, in collaboration with the University of East Anglia, Zenebu undertook the advanced Library and Information Science Programme at the Bahir Dar Polytechnic, Ethiopia and worked as a University Librarian. Furthermore, supported by Bahir Dar Polytechnic and the British Council Ethiopia, she completed a certificate of teaching in Ethiopia.
She went on to work with the Ethiopian Women Lawyers’ Association to raise awareness and eradicate the harmful practices of early marriage and female genital mutilation and, as a member of the Ethiopian Women’s Service, helped establish a strong women’s community which meant that instead of women being isolated at home they were supported to work together and to create something for themselves.
Zenebu was presented with the award of Doctor of the University, honoris causa in 2023 for all of her work supporting refugees in Kirklees for over 20 years.
We are so proud to have Zenebu and her wealth of experience here at WomenCentre and she is an example of the inspirational women we celebrate this Black History Month and every month.