Nagina’s Story

Nagina Kaleem is a science educator, community leader and advocate for women’s empowerment whose work bridges cultures, challenges stigma and builds inclusive spaces for learning and wellbeing.

She moved to Southampton over a decade ago, bringing with her a long-standing commitment to education and community development. Before relocating to the UK, she and her husband founded an educational charity in Pakistan focused on supporting marginalised girls and women. Their work led to the establishment of schools, sewing centres and safe learning environments where women and girls could gain skills, confidence and independence. Although those initiatives were paused due to personal circumstances, the vision behind them continues to shape her work today.

A lifelong commitment to education and empowerment:

With a professional background as a science teacher, Nagina dedicated over twenty years to girls’ education in Pakistan. Her teaching experience and community work reinforced a deep belief that education is not only about academic learning but also about dignity, opportunity and social change.

After moving to the UK, she hoped to continue supporting education initiatives in Pakistan while building a new life. However, she encountered significant challenges, including isolation, cultural adjustment and later, a personal battle with Cancer.

Turning personal experience into community impact

During her Cancer diagnosis and treatment, Nagina experienced not only the physical and emotional demands of illness, but also the impact of cultural misunderstanding and stigma around health within some communities. These experiences revealed how silence, fear, misconceptions and lack of awareness can prevent people, especially women from immigrant backgrounds, from seeking support or speaking openly about health challenges.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-61326163

Rather than withdrawing from community life, she transformed this difficult period into a source of purpose. She began volunteering with local organisations to better understand UK systems, culture and community needs. Through this work, she observed a recurring issue: many immigrant women felt socially isolated, lacked confidence in accessing services and had limited safe spaces to share their experiences.

These insights became the foundation for her future work.

Founding Cross-Culture Hub CIC

Because of Nagina’s legal status, she was not in the position of addressing this need so she discussed it with Jane Walker (MBE), CEO and Founder of Purple Community Fund, who helped her establishing one of the first projects, A Women-Only Sewing Centre, ‘‘Cross-Border Stitchers’’. This space quickly became more than a skills workshop—it developed into a safe, welcoming environment where women from immigrant backgrounds could learn practical skills, build friendships and begin conversations around health, identity and integration.

The sewing centre model combined practical learning with emotional and social support. It allowed women to regain confidence, reduce isolation and gradually engage more fully with wider community life.

Nagina continued this work and, in 2022, Tim and Janice helped her to registered it as Cross-Culture Hub CIC, a community initiative focused on inclusion, wellbeing, and empowerment across cultures.

Breaking taboos and building understanding

A key focus of Nagina’s work is addressing cultural stigma surrounding illness, particularly cancer, within South Asian communities. Drawing from her own experience, she has worked to create open, compassionate dialogue around health—encouraging early awareness, emotional support, and better understanding between communities and healthcare systems.

Her approach is rooted in storytelling, education, and lived experience. By speaking openly about challenges that are often kept private, she helps others feel less alone and more willing to seek help when needed.

Her story and advocacy have been highlighted in community platforms such as Southampton Forward, where her work is recognised for addressing cultural taboos and promoting understanding across communities:
Breaking down taboos associated with cancer among South Asian communities

Building bridges across cultures

Nagina’s work sits at the intersection of education, health awareness, and community cohesion. She continues to design and support initiatives that bring women together across cultural and linguistic backgrounds, creating spaces where they can learn, share experiences, and feel a sense of belonging.

Her leadership is grounded in empathy and lived experience. She understands the barriers faced by migrant women—not only in accessing services, but also in navigating identity, cultural expectations, and personal wellbeing in a new country.

A vision for inclusive communities

Through her continued dedication, Nagina Kaleem exemplifies resilience and purpose-driven leadership. Her journey reflects a commitment to transforming personal challenges into collective strength, and to ensuring that women from all backgrounds have access to safe spaces, education, and support.

Her work with Cross-Culture Hub CIC continues to grow, guided by a simple but powerful belief: that every person deserves to be heard, supported, and included—regardless of culture, background, or circumstance.

Nagina has also been an active member of Rotary since 2019 and is volunteering as a trustee at Action Hampshire since 2023.