Building Bridges Through Community
This Refugee Week, we’re celebrating the work of Hoda Community Bridge CIC, a new Milton Keynes organisation supporting the empowerment and integration of Afghan families while creating opportunities for people from different backgrounds to connect and build relationships.
Earlier this year, their Spring Harmony event brought together more than 300 people from over 20 different cultural and national backgrounds to celebrate community, culture and connection.
Read on to learn more about Hoda Community Bridge’s inspiring journey and plans for the future from its founder and director Zahra Sarwary.
Hoda Community Bridge CIC was founded in November 2025 with two clear aims. To support the empowerment and integration of Afghan families in Milton Keynes and to build meaningful connections between communities.
As someone with lived experience of migration, I understand many of the challenges individuals and families face when settling in a new country. Language barriers, social isolation, unfamiliar systems and the loss of support networks can make it difficult for people to feel confident, connected and able to fully participate in community life.
Zahra Sarwary
Founder – Hoda Community Bridge
From the very beginning, Hoda Community Bridge was created not only to support Afghan families but also to act as a bridge between communities. This vision is reflected in our name. We believe that successful integration happens when people have opportunities to connect, learn from one another and build relationships based on understanding and mutual respect.
Although still a young organisation, Hoda Community Bridge has grown quickly through the commitment and dedication of its volunteer team. In May 2026, less than six months after its establishment, we held our first major event, Spring Harmony, which also served as the official launch of the organisation. The event, supported by Milton Keynes Community Foundation, brought together more than 300 participants from over 20 different cultural and national backgrounds to celebrate community, culture and connection.
Families enjoyed traditional Afghan food, traditional music, kite making and kite flying, henna art, face painting, cultural activities and opportunities to meet new people and learn about Afghan traditions. More importantly, the event created a welcoming space where people from different communities could meet, share experiences and build new relationships. For us, Spring Harmony was not only a launch event but also a practical example of what Hoda Community Bridge aims to achieve.
For this reason, our activities are designed to bring together people from different backgrounds while also supporting Afghan families to build confidence, develop skills, expand their networks and become more connected to the wider community. By creating these connections, we hope to encourage understanding, reduce barriers, and strengthen community cohesion across Milton Keynes.
Looking ahead, we have many exciting plans for the future. From intercultural cooking clubs and cultural heritage festivals to wellbeing, educational and family-focused programmes, we aim to create spaces where people can learn from one another and build lasting relationships.
Through this work, we hope to strengthen the values of empathy, respect for diversity, inclusion and peaceful coexistence. We believe that when people have opportunities to meet and celebrate both their differences and their shared humanity, stronger and more connected communities emerge.
At the same time, we are committed to supporting Afghan families to become an active, confident and thriving part of life in Milton Keynes. By creating opportunities for participation, learning, volunteering, and community engagement, we hope to empower people not only to integrate successfully but also to make meaningful contributions to the wider community.
Together, we aim to make Milton Keynes a place where every community feels valued, connected and able to contribute, and where diversity is celebrated as one of the city’s greatest strengths.
Hoda Community Bridge joined the Refugee Support Network in 2025 and has since been a valuable contributor, helping to strengthen connections, share insight and support community cohesion across Milton Keynes.
You can find Hoda Community Bridge on Facebook and follow their latest news, activities and community updates here.