Our Mission

Breaking the silence.
Building the bridge.

Salik Project UK supports South Asian individuals in recovery from addiction, and the families and friends who walk alongside them. We believe recovery isn't a solo journey — it requires informed families, trusted community support, and early, sustained engagement.

Our focus is to reduce stigma and improve access to support within South Asian communities in the UK through education, culturally informed signposting, and grassroots research (community listening and focus groups). This helps ensure prevention, engagement, and recovery approaches are grounded in lived experience and responsive to changing patterns of harm.

We are not a treatment provider. We work alongside existing services to strengthen early intervention, reduce isolation for families, and support engagement and re-engagement — contributing to a more connected and effective recovery system.

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"To Serve
Not Judge."

These four words are at the heart of everything we do. We are not here to moralise or to police — we are here to walk alongside people at their most vulnerable. To listen without condition. To signpost without shame.

We are not a treatment provider. We are community advocates — educating, connecting and making sure no family faces addiction alone.

Funded by Action Together through the Rochdale Communities Fund Drug & Alcohol Diversity Programme, our work is rooted in lived experience and co-produced with the communities we serve.

Our Dual Purpose

Two missions.
One driving force.

Everything we do is anchored to two interconnected goals — and we pursue them in parallel, because neither can succeed without the other.

Break the stigma around addiction in South Asian communities

Shame and silence keep families from seeking help. Through education, outreach and grassroots engagement — in mosques, community centres and homes — we are normalising conversations about addiction, challenging misconceptions rooted in culture and religion, and making it safe to speak up. Addiction is not a moral failure. It is a disease that deserves care, not condemnation.

Make recovery services more culturally sensitive

South Asian individuals face real barriers accessing drug and alcohol services — language, distrust, a lack of cultural understanding and fear of community exposure. We work directly with NHS providers, commissioned services and community organisations to co-produce bilingual resources, improve cultural competency and ensure services are genuinely inclusive of the communities they are meant to serve.

Our Legal Structure

A Community Interest
Company — not a charity.

The Salik Project UK is registered as a Community Interest Company (CIC) — a distinct legal structure from a registered charity. CICs are designed specifically for organisations that trade for social purposes and want to demonstrate that they are working for the benefit of the community.

Unlike a charity, a CIC does not require registration with the Charity Commission. Instead, it is regulated by Companies House and must pass a Community Interest Test to prove its work benefits the community. Surplus income is reinvested into the organisation's mission, not distributed to shareholders.

We chose the CIC structure because it allows us the operational flexibility to deliver community-led work, enter into contracts and partnerships, and grow sustainably — whilst remaining fully committed to public benefit and transparent governance.

Company Number

16685087

Legal Structure

Community Interest Company (CIC)

Registered Status

Not a registered charity

Regulated By

Companies House & the CIC Regulator

Based In

Rochdale, Greater Manchester

Our Values

Five principles.
Every decision.

These are not just words — they are a commitment to how we show up for every individual, family and community we work with.

Support

Walking alongside individuals, families and the services that support them — from first disclosure through to sustained wellbeing.

Educate

Building awareness through culturally sensitive resources, training and campaigns that help communities and services tackle stigma together.

Refer

Connecting people to the right services at the right time — working with NHS providers, commissioned services, peer networks and community partners.

Voice

Bringing the lived experience of South Asian individuals and families to the table, so their insights can inform and strengthen services and practice.

Empower

Building the confidence and capacity of communities to engage with services, access support and take ownership of their own recovery journeys.

Meet the Team

Our Frontline Team

A small, dedicated team with deep roots in the community and a shared commitment to changing lives through compassion and evidence.

Mustafa Hameed Salik

Project Coordinator & Founder

With over 15 years of personal experience helping family members battle addiction, I fully understand the dedication and resilience required to support someone through recovery.

Waffa Hameed Salik

Lead Community Outreach & Founder

The Salik Project UK is a personal passion project for me after having lost my sister recently to addiction as well as a continuation of my late father's legacy of helping the most vulnerable in Rochdale.

Imrana Shakeel

Director & Frontline Women's Engagement

Imrana works at WHAG Rochdale and brings frontline experience supporting women in the community.

Governance & Oversight

Our Advisory Board

Our advisory board brings together expertise from frontline community work, youth empowerment and women's engagement to guide and strengthen our mission.

Tony McManus

Advisor for Lived Experience & Community Engagement

Over eight years experience in frontline services, supporting people facing homelessness, addiction, mental health issues and domestic abuse. With 13 years in recovery himself, Tony brings both lived and professional experience as a Recovery Worker with High Level Northern Trust.

Jamal Aziz

Advisor for Youth Empowerment and Mental Health Advocacy

A passionate individual committed to making a positive impact within the community, with a focus on young people and mental health.

Leadership & Governance

Our Directors

Our directors provide leadership, governance and a deep personal commitment to the values and mission of The Salik Project UK.

Saiqa Hameed

Director

A highly experienced nurse with over 10 years of service in healthcare, bringing both professional expertise and personal commitment to her role.

Mujtaba Hameed

Director

Mujtaba brings a deep personal connection to the mission of The Salik Project UK, shaped by his lived experience of supporting loved ones through addiction.

Who we areand why we exist.

Breaking the silence.Building the bridge.

Two missions.One driving force.