Our history.

Diverse Cymru has been created through the merger of Cardiff and Vale Coalition of Disabled People and Awetu, along with the support of experts in the equalities field in Wales.

Cardiff and Vale Coalition of Disabled People

Cardiff and Vale Coalition of Disabled People (CVCDP) was created in 1991.  It was established from the outset as an organisation of disabled people that could challenge barriers; bring disabled people together to campaign on relevant issues such as education, employment, housing, and transport; and strengthen the voices of disabled people in the community and in decision making.

Over the past 20 years CVCDP has continued to campaign for the rights of disabled people in Wales, and also successfully developed in other areas including service delivery, consultancy services, training and lobbying. In the last five years CVCDP began to use its knowledge and expertise to expand its activities into other equality areas.

When CVCDP officially began the transformation to Diverse Cymru in early 2011, it had 500 members, 3,000 supporters, and answered over 4,000 information enquiries a year.

Awetu

Awetu ('Our Unity' in Swahili) began in 1988 as a result of the growing concern among a number of professional workers at the over representation of black clients within the mental health services and the need to improve the sensitivity of these services to black people ‘s needs.

As it developed, Awetu strived to support all black and minority ethnic people confronted by mental health problems in Wales, through the delivery of its own services, by influencing the services provided by others to be more effective and sensitive to the needs of their users, and tackling race inequality.

 For the 23 years of its existence, Awetu remained the only black and minority ethnic mental health group in Wales.  Awetu was recognised as a leader in its field and was awarded the GlaxoSmithKline Health Impact Award in 2001, the Wales diversity Award for three consecutive years 2001-2003 and Guardian Charity of the year in 2006.