MEET THE TEAM
Aderonke Apata
Founder and CEO
Aderonke Apata is a Multi-Award-Winning Human Rights Activist. Barrister (Unregistered) with a Master of Laws and an ADR ODR International Accredited Mediator: Civil/Commercial. She’s a feminist, an advocate and campaigner for LGBTIQ+ people seeking asylum.
Aderonke founded the African Rainbow Family in 2014 amidst her thirteen-year journey to being granted asylum in the UK. Fleeing Nigeria in 2004 after being sentenced to death for being a lesbian, Aderonke fought hard to be granted her freedom and for other people. Alongside running African Rainbow Family, she achieved her Bar Professional Training Course and Master of Laws in 2021 and in October 2022, Aderonke was Called to the Bar of England and Wales as a qualified Barrister.
Aderonke co-Authored and developed The Black Leadership Empowerment Programme (BLEP) as part of the Black Leaders Programme’s initiative following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. BLEP is now taught as a tailored education through online courses, community hubs, and a practical work-based module at The Open University Business School (OUBS). As well as enhancing leadership skills, the BLEP module is to empowering individuals, promoting equality, building networks, paving the way for inclusivity and social mobility.
Aderonke is an inspirational speaker, passionate about delivering various charity management, EDI, and LGBTIQ+ asylum process training. She also co-Authored a Research Handbook on Asylum and Refugee Policy:
Held, N. and Apata, A., ‘Intersections of gender, sexuality and “race” in queer asylum claims‘, in Jane Freedman and Glenda Santana de Andrade (eds.), Research Handbook on Asylum and Refugee Policy, Elgar, pp. 239-250 (Chapter 15).
Adeniyi Balogun
Refugee Advocacy and Campaigns Manager
Adeniyi is a Human Rights Lawyer and refugee from Nigeria whose journey has shaped his deep commitment to justice and equality. He holds a Master’s degree in International Human Rights Law from the University of Bradford, where his advocacy for LGBTIQ+ rights first took root as Treasurer of the Amnesty International Society.
Driven by his own experiences, Adeniyi is passionate about supporting people fleeing persecution and building safer, more inclusive communities.
Adeniyi previously served as the Refugee Advocacy Lead at African Rainbow Family and now works as the Refugee Advocacy and Campaigns Manager, continuing to champion the rights and dignity of LGBTIQ+ refugees and people seeking asylum.
Opeoluwa Fakayode
Charity Finance Officer
Opeoluwa Fakayode is a Fellow of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) and holding an MSc in Professional Accounting from the University of East London, Opeoluwa brings extensive expertise in financial management and compliance.
Dedicated to LGBTIQ+ advocacy, Opeoluwa ensures the organization’s financial health, supporting its mission to promote equality and provide resources for marginalized communities.
Bahareh Ezzat
Grants and Monitoring Officer
Bahareh Ezzat has been the Grants and Monitoring Officer at African Rainbow Family since May. She was born in Iran and moved to London with her family aged 5, so has lived experience of the UK asylum process.
Aisha Rehman
Refugee Advocacy Lead
Aisha is our dedicated staff member based in London, she does a spectacular job at supporting the large community of service users in the area. Aisha regularly manages the Monthly Sibling Meeting in London and ensures that everybody has a great time.
Philippa Metcalfe
Refugee Advocacy Assistant
Philippa is our Advocacy Assistant for our Birmingham group, organising the monthly meetings and supporting our siblings in Birmingham. She has experience working with grassroots and self-organised migrant solidarity across Europe, spending time in the UK and Greece supporting people on the move and seeking asylum.
She holds a PhD from Cardiff University, where she researched the violence of Europe’s borders and the ongoing digitalisation of migration controls, and holds a Masters in Social and Public policy.
Muhammad Javed
Refugee Advocacy Assistant
Muhammad is our dedicated staff member based in Leeds, he is based in the city and does an amazing job with supporting our service users in the area. He regularly plans and hosts the Monthly Sibling Meetings in Leeds and most recently, arranged some incredible Pakistani food for the family at Leeds Pride!
Oyindamola Amodu
Refugee Advocacy Assistant
Oyindamola is our Manchester-based Advocacy Assistant, she is currently studying at university alongside working at African Rainbow Family and is passionate about psychology and the field of mental health. Oyindamola currently manages the registration of our new service users – a crucial aspect of our service – and she currently works Mondays and Wednesdays.
Our Trustees
Regina Mensah
Regina is the Chair of the Board of Trustees of African Rainbow Family and currently studying a Masters of Public Health degree. She has a degree in International Development: Third World and NGO Management and studied a PGCE, postgraduate course in teaching. With over 10 years of involvement, Regina has led strategic campaigns, influenced policy reforms, and provided vital support services to marginalized communities. As a Health and Social Care teacher, Regina is committed to addressing health inequalities, particularly through appraising public health policies like the Refugee Health Strategy (UKHSA, 2023). Her advocacy focuses on improving healthcare access, social integration, and equitable policies for displaced populations, ensuring their voices are heard at local and national levels.
Regina worked in the healthcare industry for over 10 years in the UK. She also has 10 years’ experience working in advocacy, policy and communications. She culminates this with motherhood, working on research and human rights for various organisations in the UK. Regina’s academic interests have focused on health inequalities and the unjust social and economic determinants that sustain these. She has conducted, or advised on, a multiplicity of large-scale national evaluations of community or place-based interventions, most of which have had some focus on the need for communities to have the collective power to influence change in their neighbourhoods. As a Trustee she has strong empathy with the objectives and purposes of ARF and LGBTIQ+ issues within this vulnerable category.
Hear what our Chairperson says:
“Working on The Board of Trustees means that one is jointly and responsible for the overall governance and strategic direction of ARF as a charity, its financial health, the probity of its activities, and for developing the organisation’s aims, objectives and goals in accordance with the governing document, legal, and regulatory guidelines.”
Kudirat Abodunde
Kudirat Abodunde is a compassionate support worker with the NHS, devoted to enhancing the health and well-being of individuals within the community.
As a refugee herself, Kudirat has Lived Experience and understands the needs of our Siblings in the African Rainbow Family.
Aaron Chady
Aaron has 12+ years of experience working within HIV and sexual health, working with LGBTQ communities, people seeking asylum, sex workers, chemsex and sexualised drug users as well as other intersectional minoritised communities.
He is an experienced 1-2-1 worker, trainer and group facilitator with a background in teaching, and he has worker in community-based and clinical settings. He is also qualified in British Sign Language Level 2.
Aaron is also passionate about seeing representation of communities affected by health inequalities in the workforces that serve them, and encourages that systems of support do their part to nurture and train the next generation of caregivers in their field.
Bisi Balogun
Bisi is a dedicated member at ARF. An LGBTIQ+ organisation based in Manchester with over four years of active membership. She is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in health and social care at the university of greater Manchester. She is particularly passionate about mental health awareness, intersectional inclusion and creating safe spaces where every voice is heard.
Oyebola Babalola
Oyebola brings over 14 years of experience in the care sector, having worked with the elderly, people living with disabilities, and children. With a degree in Food Science, she is deeply passionate about tackling childhood malnutrition and promoting better nutrition for vulnerable groups.
Having personally lived through the challenging process of seeking asylum, Oyebola understands firsthand the struggles, pain, and frustration that many siblings within African Rainbow Family (ARF) face. This lived experience fuels her dedication to volunteer as a member of ARF’s Media Team, ensuring that no one seeking asylum ever feels alone and that every voice is heard and valued.
Her advocacy focuses on strengthening the fight against immigration detention, promoting social integration, and championing policies that safeguard the mental wellbeing of people seeking asylum.
Olawunmi Kazeem
Olawunmi Kazeem is a dedicated Customer Expert committed to enhancing client satisfaction, service excellence, and organizational growth through customer experience management.