ILAYS is a non-profit organisation, set up in 2004 by the East African community in West London.
Back in 2004, we saw that many of our brothers and sisters who arrived from Somalia and elsewhere were struggling to cope in the UK.
Making the transition can be tough, and we recognised that migrants, refugees and asylum seekers were in danger of feeling excluded, isolated or ignored. We felt something could be done to help them. So we set up Ilays.
Our mission is to help BAME communities and new arrivals in West London to reach their full potential. We want people to feel comfortable and – above all – happy in their lives here.
We think it’s vital that they can overcome any barriers to social inclusion, and can think of themselves as totally equal to people who were born and raised in the UK.
At ILAYS, we take inspiration from the world around us. That’s why all our values are drawn from our community and the people we represent.