Bushra Tahir, founder and chairman of women’s charity Awaaz, reveals how she fits running a charity into her busy day.

I get very busy with everyday tasks, as I am also a wife and an unpaid carer for my husband and sister.

In the mornings I look after them and then look out for the carers provided by Redbridge Council who come. If I didn’t have them I wouldn’t have any time for my group or myself.

When I get the chance, I go to the office for my Awaaz group, in Holstock Road, Ilford.

I try to do work with the volunteers to sort out the activities, the funding and all the administration things in the office.

I have people who come in for appointments to seek some help and advice.

The busiest day is Wednesday, when we have a drop-in session at the Loxford Children’s Centre, in Ilford Lane.

I have to prepare the sessions, which are quite popular, and decide what kind of subjects we are going to talk about. I involve people from different agencies such as the police and the NHS.

We ask the women what subjects they would like us to cover.

One time they said they needed information on how to keep their homes safe from burglary, so we asked the police to come and give us a talk.

The Awaaz group started in 2002 and it is my baby. I wanted to give my time to people, the women who were suffering, and help them as much as I could.

We offer advice on issues like mental health and domestic violence.

Our main aim is to empower the women in their lives and to build up their confidence.

Our funding is restricted but we carry on with our work with the help of our volunteers.

They are the backbone of Awaaz and we really appreciate that.

We also get referrals from agencies. I contact them and ask if they would like to send any people to us.

Sometimes I have two or three appointments with referred women a day; it depends on my schedule. I meet with them in the office and then go on from there.

I really enjoy my job and if it was otherwise I wouldn’t be able to do it.

The Awaaz group is my social life and it is my flesh and blood. I will keep carrying on helping people to improve their quality of life.