Shama Women's Centre

What Shama Women's Centre does

Shama Women's Centre is a registered charity in England and Wales (Charity No. 1087995) headquartered in Leicester, United Kingdom, operating community-based services for women and families — predominantly from culturally diverse and minority communities — across Leicester and the wider East Midlands. Founded around 1986 and employing approximately 25 people, the organisation has built a multi-decade operating history delivering culturally-tailored interventions in mental health counseling, domestic abuse support, welfare and benefits advice, employment and education support, childcare, befriending, and — more recently — gambling harms prevention. The CEO, Khudeja Amer-Sharif (MBA), has led the organisation for 14+ years and has been recognised with an Honorary Doctorate in 2026; the organisation carries the King's Award for Voluntary Service (2025) and the Lord Lieutenant of the county as Patron.

The service portfolio blends direct one-to-one and group support, structured training programmes, and outreach delivered via in-person and virtual channels (telephone, WhatsApp and Zoom). Underlying capability rests on multilingual staff and cultural-competence accumulated since founding, supported by an established referral and partnership network spanning the NHS, local authorities, the National Lottery Community Fund, Lloyds Bank Foundation, and Independent Age. The technology footprint is deliberately low-tech — communications, casework tools, and video-delivery platforms — with no disclosed AI/ML components or proprietary platform.

Revenue is generated through a diversified charity-income model: restricted and unrestricted grants from national funders, corporate partnerships and event-driven fundraising with major UK employers (Tesco, Next, Nike, Goldman Sachs, among others), individual donations and membership fees, and a nascent line of fee-paying corporate mental health services. Financial scale is not publicly disclosed. Headcount at 25 employees and the regional (single-city and adjacent) scope place Shama among small-to-mid-sized UK charities, with growth optionality coming from new programme verticals (gambling harms, employer mental health) and virtual-channel reach rather than geographic scale-up.

Name

Shama Women's Centre

Legal name

Shama Women's Centre

Website

https://shamawomenscentre.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Shama Women's Centre is a registered Leicester-based charity (Est. ~1986) providing mental health counseling, domestic abuse support, welfare advice, employment and education services, childcare, befriending, and gambling harms prevention primarily to women from culturally diverse communities across the East Midlands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women's Community Support Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGAEAH)

Keywords

• Women's support services
• Community mental health
• Domestic abuse support
• Adult education training
• Welfare advice services

Headquarters

HQ city

Leicester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Charitable donations from individuals and organizations to support the centre's operations and services for women.
2. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees providing access to certified courses, discounted services including gym, sauna, day trips and workshops. Membership lasts 1 year and is non-refundable.
3. Service Fees: Small fees charged for some services including counselling and support, as the charity relies on donations and fee-for-service revenue to sustain operations.
4. Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorship: Support from businesses including CSR programs, sponsorship, and corporate donations from companies including Everards of Leicestershire, Kazoo IT Solutions, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Shama Women's Centre is a registered charity that delivers a portfolio of support services for women from diverse communities in Leicester, including mental health consultancy and counselling, domestic abuse support, welfare advice, employment support, education and training with certified courses, childcare, befriending, and a gambling harms prevention programme. Services are delivered through a physical centre, virtual channels (telephone, Zoom, WhatsApp), and community outreach locations, with the majority of access supported by charitable donations and modest service or membership fees.

Product overview

Shama Women's Centre is a charity organization offering a comprehensive suite of support services for women from diverse communities in Leicester. The organization operates as a single integrated service portfolio rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture, providing mental health support, domestic abuse services, welfare advice, employment support, education and training, childcare, and community programmes. Key services include Mental Health Consultancy, Domestic Abuse Support, Welfare Advice, Employment Support, Education and Training programmes with certified courses (ESOL, IT, Health & Safety, Food Hygiene, First Aid), Childcare services, and Business services for workplace mental health. The organization also runs membership and volunteering programmes, the Roshni Group community sessions, and accepts donations through multiple channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mental Health Consultancy and Counselling Professional mental health consultancy and counselling services for women from diverse communities in Leicester, addressing anxiety, depression, trauma, and other mental health challenges. Delivered in person at the centre, via telephone, Zoom, and WhatsApp.
• Domestic Abuse Support Service Specialized support for women experiencing domestic abuse, including safety planning, emotional support, and onward referral to refuge services. Accepts professional referrals via dedicated agency referral forms.
• Welfare Advice Service Welfare advice covering pension, benefits, housing, and energy support, with particular focus on women aged 65 and over. Delivered in partnership with Independent Age.
• Employment Support Service Support to help women develop employability skills, prepare for work, and access employment opportunities.
• Befriending Services Community befriending service that pairs women with trained volunteers to reduce social isolation and build supportive relationships.
• Holistic Gambling Harms Prevention Programme Awareness, prevention, and support programme addressing gambling harms in local communities, including volunteer ambassador opportunities.
• Education and Training Programme Certified courses including ESOL, IT, Health & Safety, Food Hygiene, and First Aid, designed to build confidence, qualifications, and employability for women from diverse communities.
• Childcare Service On-site childcare provided at the centre so that women can participate in courses, counselling, and other support services.
• Business Mental Health Services Workplace mental health package for businesses including consultancy, counselling, people manager training, and wellbeing workshops. Priced separately as a B2B offering.
• Annual Membership Programme Annual membership providing access to certified courses, discounted gym, sauna, day trips and workshops; lasts 1 year and is non-refundable.
• Roshni Group Sessions Weekly community sessions for women held at Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre, featuring arts, crafts, activities, trips, and social connection.
• Charitable Donation Facility Donation facility accepting contributions via PayPal and bank transfer to support the charity's operations and services for women.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University Hospitals of Leicester NHS TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS trust partner providing healthcare connections and referral pathways for women requiring health services.
• Independent AgecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing welfare advice services for elderly women (65+) including pension and benefits support, housing and energy advice.
• Everards of LeicestershireminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal Leicestershire business supporting the charity through CSR and sponsorship.
• East Midlands ChambersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBusiness support organisation covering Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Leicestershire.
• Unique Window SystemsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLeicester-based company supporting the charity through corporate social responsibility.
• Everything BrandedminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLeicester-based company providing branding and marketing support.
• Connect 4 GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLondon-based energy efficiency organisation with community focus.
• Garment WorkersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrust supporting garment workers across England and Wales.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Birmingham & Solihull Women's Aid: Regional DV charity covering the West Midlands. Comparable as a community-anchored women's DV and welfare services provider operating in a different UK geography.
• The Women's Organisation (Liverpool): Liverpool-based charity supporting women's economic empowerment, training, and enterprise. Comparable as a women's community services charity with similar employment and training programme lines.

Direct peers

• Forward (UK): Charity addressing violence against women and girls, particularly in Black and minority communities. Comparable as a UK charity focused on minority women's rights and VAW support services.
• Jewish Women's Aid: UK charity providing DV support specifically for Jewish women. Comparable as a community-specialist women's DV service provider with similar cultural-sensitivity orientation.
• Southall Black Sisters: London-based charity serving Black and minority women facing violence and abuse. Highly comparable as a specialist BAME women's services provider addressing similar cultural and language barriers.
• Refuge (UK): UK's largest domestic abuse charity providing DV support and refuge services. Directly comparable as a women-focused DV support organisation with overlapping core service lines.

Broad incumbents

• Mind (UK): England's leading mental health charity with nationwide services. Comparable as a major mental health support provider, though at significantly greater scale and with broader geographic reach.
• Women's Aid Federation of England: National federation coordinating DV support services across England. Operates similar domestic abuse services and advocacy at greater scale via a broader member network.
• Citizens Advice: National network providing free welfare, benefits, housing, and energy advice. Comparable for the welfare-advice component of Shama's service portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/shamawomenscentre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shama-women-s-centre

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Shama Women's Centre