One Year On: Our Project Supporting Ethnic Minority Women Through Childcare Volunteering Opportunities at Shining Stars CIC
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
It’s been one year since we launched our groundbreaking project to support ethnic minority women through childcare volunteering opportunities at Shining Stars Nursery CIC. The two-year initiative, entitled Empowering Ethnic Minority Women Through Volunteering in the Childcare Industry, was set up in April 2025 to help women of diverse backgrounds overcome obstacles – such as lack of qualifications, language barriers, and low confidence – so they can gain the necessary skills and experience to enter the workforce.
Having received the backing of the Welsh Government’s Volunteering Wales Main Grants Scheme, administered by the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA), the project’s aims are twofold: to help our existing volunteers – many of whom come from an ethnic minority background – and reach more women in the community.
As we mark the first year of the scheme, we sat down with Cindy Lim, Director of Shining Stars Cardiff CIC, and volunteers Aria and Robina, to look back on some of the highlights so far…
An amazing response: 'They would just show up at the door'
When it launched, the scheme sought to recruit and support 40 volunteers across two years – but we’re thrilled to say it reached just shy of that target within only six months, with 38 women enrolled.
The women – whose ages span from teenagers still in school to retirees – joined us through a variety of avenues: Volunteering Wales, Volunteer Cardiff, the Job Centre’s ethnic minority women’s team, and Cardiff & Vale College, as well as direct contact via social media, community networks – and the entrance of the nursery itself. “They would just show up at the door,” recalled Cindy. “It means that a lot of people want to work in childcare”.
Many of the women arrived at the nursery having long faced barriers to get into employment, including limited English, isolation, and little work experience. The majority have settled in Cardiff having come from abroad, with countries including Bangladesh, Pakistan and India. Some have never worked or are looking to re-enter employment.
“A lot of them are mothers themselves who have no work experience because they’ve been taking care of their children,” Cindy added. “Some of them didn't know what they could do with their lives, because they never studied anything. They didn't realise that their skills of just being a mum would give them skills to do any job. Some of them don’t speak English…some of them didn't go outside for 20 years until their partners passed away, and they were forced to go and find work.”
How our childcare volunteering opportunities have been helping ethnic minority women
The amazing response to our project has revealed the demand for inclusive childcare volunteering opportunities. It has also exposed a difficulty for people seeking to enter funded work-based training programmes to gain Level 2 and 3 childcare qualifications: applicants often need to already be working in a paid childcare role to be considered for such programmes, yet securing that employment can be difficult without already having those qualifications. “So how do you get that job in the first place to study your Level 2 [childcare qualification], especially if no one knows who you are, no one can trust that you’ll complete or do [the qualification] on time?” said Cindy.
This is especially true for the ethnic minority women who arrived at our nursery. That’s where our scheme comes in – not only helping women to boost their employability and acquire transferable skills, but also giving them confidence, purpose, improved well-being, and social connections.
Alongside developing hands-on nursery skills, the volunteers have access to around 800 online courses, including safeguarding, health and safety, workforce development, and even English classes. “A lot of them have done paediatric first aid now. Some of them have been doing things like managing difficult behaviour for children,” said Cindy. Volunteers have also been trained in food preparation and healthy eating practices, which contributed directly to the nursery achieving the Gold Snack Award. Meanwhile, four volunteers have also successfully completed and passed a Level 1 course in childcare delivered by our nursery director through MENFA (Mentoring For All).
Most of the volunteers are nursery assistants, working alongside qualified staff to support daily routines and play-based learning, but some have taken up roles as marketing and admin assistants, helping with tasks such as advertising the nursery and sorting travel expenses. Others have also represented the nursery in public, accompanying Cindy at events like job fairs. “I try to give them more ways of training, or more ways to get out in the world to see what's out there,” she said. “They're becoming more and more confident while they're here, so I'm proud that they’ve progressed so much. Some of them were so scared when they first came through the door.”
As for the doors volunteering has opened up, several women have progressed into employment, such as teaching assistants, or further education. Some have even been hired as apprentices within the nursery itself. But for others, joining the project has been less about finding paid work and more about giving back to the community. “A lot of women want to feel useful still, and they enjoy working with children,” said Cindy. “They want somewhere they could go and smile by the end of the day, and they feel like they've helped out. It makes them happy.”
Benefits for the children
Supporting ethnic minority women through childcare volunteering opportunities has also had a positive impact on the children in the nursery. The high number of volunteers enrolled means the children often receive one-on-one support, giving them a sense of belonging in the nursery, supporting their emotional wellbeing and helping their transition into school. And the volunteers’ dedication to the role means they regularly attend shifts on set days, which has been especially beneficial for special needs children under our care.
“[The volunteers] enjoy working with the children so much that they're here all the time, so the children know who they are and they're familiar with them,” Cindy added. “And some of [the children] are very quiet and shy and don't speak to anyone. When some of the volunteers come in that they know, they open up, they're happy, and they play and they talk. It’s really good for them.”
Furthermore, the diverse backgrounds of our volunteers have strengthened cultural inclusion within the nursery, making it a more vibrant, multicultural space that we’re really proud of – and in turn this has enriched the experience for children and families.”
'I feel like I've known everybody for such a long time'
We spoke to a couple of our volunteers to hear how the programme has made a difference in their lives. One, mum-of-three Robina Khan, 46, said she found out about the project through the job centre and she has been volunteering twice a week since November. “It’s such a nice atmosphere, lovely people. I have confidence issues and shyness – and I know it’s only since November, but I feel like I’ve known everybody for such a long time.”
Explaining her reasons for joining, she added: “You can’t get a job without experience and I don’t have that in a professional capacity. I think it’s a beautiful thing that they do because it gives people like me an opportunity to get out there, have the experience and then find a job.” She also praised the array of courses offered by the scheme. “It’s another qualification on my CV for when I really need to apply for a job”.
Aria Zaman, 20, started volunteering at Shining Stars before the programme was officially introduced, but she’s still benefitted from it. She said volunteering has built her confidence. “Before I was kind of introverted and kept to myself because I wasn’t really sure how to speak out. It really helped to encourage me and I’ve met a lot of good people.” As for the importance of the programme, she points out the unique skills ethnic minority women often bring with them. “I am a fluent English speaker, but I use my language [Hindko] as well…if there’s a child who has that language barrier I could communicate with them and help.”
Through volunteering, we’re delighted to say Aria secured a paid apprenticeship at Shining Stars in November and is set to complete her Level 2 qualification this year. “My goal is to work with SEND [Special Educational Needs and Disabilities] and special needs children,” she said.
Another year confirmed
We’re delighted to share that our second year of funding from the WCVA has been approved and is going ahead as planned. We’re excited to keep building on the project – continuing to break down barriers to volunteering and creating a meaningful, inclusive experience for both our volunteers and the children they support.
A spokesperson for the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) said: "Through the Welsh Government’s Volunteering Wales Main Grant, we’re pleased to see Shining Stars Cardiff CIC achieve such positive outcomes in the project’s first year, helping ethnic minority women access meaningful volunteering opportunities in childcare. We look forward to seeing how the project continues to grow and strengthen its impact in the year ahead."
Get involved!
As we embark on the next year of the programme, we are always open to accepting more volunteers. If you’re an ethnic minority woman who is interested in getting involved in our programme, we’d love to hear from you! Contact us by email: shiningstarscardiff@gmail.com or over the phone (07812 459535)
With our thanks to everyone at The Welsh Government’s Volunteering Wales Main Grants Scheme, administered by the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA).
