Smethwick Pakistani Muslims Association Ltd (SPMA)

We were set up as a community group in 1989 and have evolved to meet the needs of our community through listening to the voices of our members. The Pakistani adult community living within Smethwick mainly consists of first generation Pakistanis who are illiterate in the English Language. A large majority of work is focused on ensuring these people are able to access their basic rights.

Our organisation sits in an extremely deprived area of the Black Country and over the last 20 years we have worked hard to respond to and overcome issues that are inherent in such an economic environment.

As our organisation name suggests, we were initially founded with a religious underpinning and our building comprised of a mosque as well as offices, classrooms and other administrative facilities. In 2003, our work had already become distinct and we legally separated from the mosque, to a non-religious Charity in order to respond to the diversity of the community and increased demand for our services but kept the organisation’s name so as to maintain our recognised identity and goodwill in the local community.

We remain the Smethwick Pakistani Muslim Association but our services are open to all and, indeed, our clients are representative of the local community.