SAHELI

What SAHELI does

Saheli is a registered charity in England and Wales (no: 1033067) founded in 1976 and headquartered in Manchester, providing domestic abuse support to Black, Asian and Minoritised (BAMER) women and children. Its service portfolio spans emergency refuge accommodation, one-to-one outreach support, community group work, in-house specialist counseling delivered in Urdu, Hindi, Arabic, and Bengali, aftercare and resettlement support, and a telephone helpline (0161 945 4187, Mon-Fri 9am-5pm). The organization also delivers fee-based professional training on domestic abuse, forced marriage and honour-based abuse, and operates a social enterprise subsidiary (Zesty Cuisine).

Its core technology is a multilingual service-delivery platform supporting both direct service users and professional referrers (social services, police, healthcare, partner NGOs), backed by a website, donation portal (Raisely), and email channels. Sub-brands include the Hosla outreach project (since the 1990s), the Maya Project partnership (£1.2M Big Lottery Fund initiative, 2016–2020), Champa Champion Project, and the Positive Change Partnership. The organization holds WAFE National Standards, Imkaan Quality Standards, and Ofsted registration for refuge childcare.

Saheli's revenue model combines (i) institutional grant funding from national and local bodies (Big Lottery Fund, Comic Relief, Lloyds Foundation, Manchester City Council, Oxfam GB, various trusts), (ii) individual donations via the Raisely platform and events including the 50th Anniversary Gala, (iii) earned income from Zesty Cuisine, and (iv) fee-based professional training. Distribution is primarily direct: helpline, refuge self- and agency-referral, outreach workers and community group sessions across Greater Manchester and a growing footprint into Rotherham, Blackburn and Rochdale. The organization employs 16 people and is governed by a board of trustees under CEO Priya Chopra and Board Chair Shazia.

Name

SAHELI

Legal name

Saheli

Website

https://saheli.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women's Refuge and Domestic Abuse Support Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Community Housing Services (62422)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Protection Services (GBV, Child Protection, Safeguarding) (BPADAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH), Protection Services (GBV, Child Protection, Legal Aid) (BPADADAH), Asylum & Refugee Status Determination (RSD) Support (BPADAHAB)

Keywords

• Domestic abuse support
• Women's refuge services
• Culturally sensitive counseling
• Forced marriage support
• Honour based abuse services

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: Public donations collected via raisely.com platform and 50th Anniversary Gala Dinner event. Individual contributions from supporters.
2. Government and Trust Funding: Grant funding from government bodies (Manchester City Council Burdens Fund), national funders (Big Lottery Fund, Comic Relief), and trust foundations (Lloyds Foundation). Project-specific multi-year funding.
3. Social Enterprise: Zesty Cuisine social enterprise providing additional revenue stream.
4. Professional Training Services: Training services provided to professionals on domestic abuse, forced marriage, and honour based abuse topics for a fee.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Saheli is a Manchester-based charity providing emergency refuge accommodation, specialist counseling, professional training, outreach support, group work, and aftercare/resettlement services for Black, Asian, and Minoritised women and children fleeing domestic abuse, forced marriage, and honour-based violence. Services are delivered with multi-language capabilities (Urdu, Hindi, Arabic, Bengali) and a culturally sensitive, community-led approach across Greater Manchester and surrounding areas.

Product overview

Saheli is a Manchester-based charity providing a comprehensive suite of domestic abuse support services for Black, Asian, and Minority women and children. The core service portfolio includes emergency refuge accommodation, one-to-one outreach support, group work programs, specialist counseling (available in Urdu, Hindi, Arabic, and Bengali), and aftercare/resettlement support. Additional services include professional training on domestic abuse and forced marriage, a helpline, and various project-based initiatives including the Champa Champion Project and So Safe Project. Saheli also operates social enterprise ventures (Zesty Cuisine) and produces research publications. The organization leads partnership programs such as the Maya Project and maintains a focus on supporting migrant women with no recourse to public funds.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hosla Project: Outreach project meaning empowerment, providing support services to women experiencing domestic abuse
• Zesty Cuisine
• Maya Project

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 10,000 women reached via phone in 5 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and notable.

• Maya Project PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Partnership providing collaborative approach to supporting Black Asian Minority Ethnic and Refugee women in Manchester. Saheli was lead organisation. Project provided crisis support, access to help, aspiration development. Approximately 800 women per year attended services, exceeding 2000 target over 4 years. Funded by Big Lottery Fund (1.2 million initiative). Partners included six BAMER organisations.
• Positive Change PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with The Angelou Centre, Apna Haq, Humraaz, Rochdale Women's Welfare Association. Specialist by-and-for led model of sexual abuse support for Black and Minoritised women and girls. Part of ongoing partnership work.
• Apna HaqcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Champa Champion Project funded by Comic Relief. Black, Asian, Minortised women's organisation providing outreach and advocacy support for women experiencing domestic abuse, forced marriage and honour based abuse.
• HumraazcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Champa Champion Project funded by Comic Relief. Black, Asian, Minortised women's organisation providing support for women experiencing abuse.
• Rochdale Women's Welfare AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Champa Champion Project (Comic Relief) and So Safe Project. Provides outreach and advocacy support to women from Black, Asian and minority communities across Greater Manchester.
• Bury Asian Women's CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in So Safe Project delivering group work and empowerment sessions across Greater Manchester for women experiencing domestic abuse from Black, Asian and Minority communities.
• The Angelou CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Positive Change Partnership providing specialist by-and-for led sexual abuse support for Black and Minoritised women and girls.
• BarnardosnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to develop Forced Marriage Training Pack. Trained over 200 professionals across Greater Manchester.
• Sisters for ChangenotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Maya Project to document experiences of Black Asian Minoritised Ethnic women victims of domestic abuse and challenges in accessing statutory services.
• Bury Asian Active Women's ProjectnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Bury Asian Active Women's Project and Rochdale Women's Welfare Association for 4-year partnership work supporting women from Black, Asian and minority communities across Greater Manchester.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Imkaan: UK-wide network of Black and Minoritised women's organisations working to address violence against women and girls. Provides the Imkaan Quality Standards that Saheli holds; comparable as the sector accreditation body for by-and-for BAMER service providers, more an ecosystem partner than direct competitor.

Direct peers

• Refuge (UK): UK charity providing refuge accommodation, helpline and outreach services for women and children experiencing domestic abuse. Directly comparable as a multi-region domestic abuse service provider; operates at significantly larger national scale but offers overlapping core services.
• Apna Haq: Black, Asian and Minoritised women's organisation in Rotherham providing outreach and advocacy for women experiencing domestic abuse, forced marriage and honour-based abuse. Active partner in Saheli's Champa Champion Project; directly comparable as a regional BAMER domestic abuse specialist.
• Southall Black Sisters: BAME women's charity in West London providing domestic violence, immigration and welfare support. Highly comparable to Saheli as a specialist by-and-for BAME women's organisation offering refuge, counseling and advocacy services with similar cultural-competency positioning.
• Asian Women's Resource Centre: London-based charity providing holistic support services for Asian women, including domestic violence support, counseling and advocacy. Comparable to Saheli as a culturally-specific Asian women's organisation offering overlapping refuge, counseling and welfare support services.
• Rochdale Women's Welfare Association: Black, Asian and Minority women's organisation in Greater Manchester providing outreach and advocacy support to women from BAMER communities. Partner in Saheli's Champa Champion and So Safe projects; directly comparable as a regional BAMER domestic abuse support provider.
• Humraaz: BAMER women's organisation providing specialist support for women experiencing abuse in Greater Manchester. Partner in Saheli's Champa Champion Project; comparable as a peer BAMER domestic abuse specialist in the same regional catchment.
• The Angelou Centre: Black women's organisation in Newcastle providing support for women experiencing domestic violence, sexual abuse and other forms of gender-based violence. Partner in Saheli's Positive Change Partnership; comparable as a regional by-and-for BAMER domestic and sexual abuse specialist.

Regional players

• Jewish Women's Aid: UK charity providing culturally-sensitive domestic abuse support for Jewish women, including refuge accommodation and helpline services. Comparable to Saheli as a faith/ethnic-specific by-and-for domestic abuse provider with similar operational model and accreditation standards.

Broad incumbents

• Women's Aid Federation of England: National federation of domestic abuse service providers in England. Saheli holds Women's Aid National Standards accreditation and operates within the federation's quality framework; comparable as both peers in the domestic abuse refuge and support space, though Women's Aid operates as a national umbrella rather than a direct service provider.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/saheli

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SAHELI