Nigerian-born community leader Shulamite Ezechi has marked a decade of community service in Scotland as ANYiSO, the charity she founded, celebrated its 10th anniversary with a conference focused on equality, opportunity and the cost of living.
The anniversary conference, themed “Cost of Living, Equality and Opportunity: Creating Inclusive Solutions”, brought together policymakers, community leaders, academics, funders, partners, professionals, volunteers and members of the community to reflect on ANYiSO’s decade of work and discuss challenges facing communities across Scotland.
Among the political figures who attended were Patricia Ferguson MP and Colm Merrick MSP, who delivered speeches and joined other participants in celebrating the organisation’s milestone.
For Ezechi, the anniversary represents the growth of an initiative that began with a vision shaped by personal experience and has evolved into a charity supporting women, young people, ethnic minority communities, refugees, asylum seekers and families.
ANYiSO began as a voluntary organisation in 2015 before becoming a registered charity in 2016.
Over the past decade, the organisation has focused on creating opportunities for people who can face barriers to accessing services, employment, education and wider community participation.
The organisation’s name also reflects Ezechi’s Nigerian heritage. ANYiSO is an Igbo expression meaning “We Belong”, a message that has remained central to its work and its approach to community inclusion.
The anniversary conference provided an opportunity to examine how that principle can be applied to some of the pressures affecting communities today, particularly the rising cost of living and continuing concerns around equality and access to opportunity.
Rather than focusing solely on the organisation’s achievements, discussions at the event highlighted the need for stronger collaboration between communities, policymakers, charities and other institutions in developing solutions that reflect the experiences of people affected by social and economic pressures.
For Ezechi, the journey from a voluntary initiative to an established charity demonstrates what can emerge when community needs are translated into sustained action.
The anniversary also reflects the growing contribution of members of Scotland’s migrant and ethnic minority communities to civic life, community development and social inclusion.
As ANYiSO enters its second decade, its founders, partners and supporters are looking towards expanding the organisation’s impact while remaining focused on its founding principle: creating communities in which people feel that they belong and have the opportunity to participate and thrive.
