Project title: AfroVital Hearts
Region: Barking & Dagenham and Newham, London
Award amount: £14,500
Award date: October 2025
Newham has the UK’s highest T2D rate and Black African adults are 3 times more likely to develop hypertension before the age of 55. These individuals often follow traditional diets which are commonly high in salt, red meat, processed foods and oil. Local community surveys revealed that 78% of people consume processed foods daily for convenience, and 85% of people rarely exercise.
There are no local existing projects that address these cultural and economic barriers, highlighting the need for Resilient Wellness UK to deliver AfroVital Hearts.
AfroVital Hearts is a 6 month community-led initiative for West African adults living with or at risk of hypertension. The activities they will deliver blend tradition with practical health science, prioritizing communal learning and incremental progress. They will run regular nutrition workshops, culturally tailored to adapt West African staples for heart health, combining education with hands on cooking. As well as afrobeat dance sessions for all ability levels, neighbourhood walks in local green spaces, wellness circles for stress reduction and one to one coaching.
Resilient Wellness’ project will aim to directly benefit over 100 people with a further 300 indirectly benefitting from it. Each direct beneficiary will receive over 50hrs of contact time throughout the duration of the project, allowing them to form new heart healthy habits. All participants will receive health screening pre, mid and post project with blood pressure, waist circumference and weight measurements being taken. AftoVital Hearts will hold quarterly ‘Vitality Festivals’ to celebrate the achievements and progress of the beneficiaries, these festivals will include modified recipe cook offs and dance showcases.