Momentous day for so many of us! English Heritage anita anand MeeraSyal💙 @FloStadt 💙💙💙💙 #ayahshome

Not following us on instagram yet? Why not?! We post regularly about our new discoveries on ayahs, amahs and their stories that have quietly been forgotten. Follow us here instagram.com/ayahshome #ayahshome

Asian Ayahs & Amahs traveled with British families & found themselves abandoned once on English shores. #AyahsHome in east London became their safe haven & my focal point to unravel the lives of these incredible women. Watch: youtu.be/GsgMtHmT7ss Mojo Story LSE Media & Communications

Ayahs could be traced to port cities like Madras, Calcutta & Bombay. They adopted names of British families - Ayah Jones to England & Ayah Smith on the return journey- so their real identity remains unknown. This exhibit at Hackney Museum painstakingly puts together some stories.

The ayahshome home in Hackney sheltered 100-140 Ayahs every year & was run by Amina Hanson and Sarah Dunn before the Fletchers of the London Christian Mission took over. Niti Acharya of Hackney Museum knows well the challenges of chronicling the history of the lost Ayahs.

A relentless campaign led by Farhanah Mamoojee to get recognition to the ayahshome in Hackney finally resulted in a English Heritage Blue Plaque on the building. This plague was inaugurated by MeeraSyal💙 and anita anand last month.

If you want to look deeper into the history of the Ayahs & Amahs, the work of Rozina Visram, Florian Stadtler 🦀, Thushani Weerasekera, Shahida Rahman @SitaBrahmachari provide great insights. Who else do you recommend? Listen to some of them here: youtu.be/7EezHa_842I Hackney Museum

Ayahs & Amahs were perhaps the earliest women economic migrants in colonial times, breaking many patriarchal barriers & getting trapped in some. I enjoyed exploring their lives: youtu.be/GsgMtHmT7ss What do you think? If you have written abt Ayahs/Amahs, link it here. :)

I went to see the exhibition on Ayahs Hackney Museum this afternoon. Small but poignant, allowing us a glimpse into these women's lives. Exhibition closes Aug 27, try to go! ayahshome

Ayahs & amahs lived with local families in Hackney before the Home for them moved here in 1900. Below are two stories, one of an ayah and one of an amah 👇🏽 Visit by 27 Aug. More info: shorturl.at/vEIN4 ayahshome EastEndWomen'sMuseum hackneychinese Hackney Chinese Sch @lovehackney

ayahshome EastEndWomen'sMuseum hackneychinese Hackney Chinese Sch Love Hackney Story of an unknown ayah in Stoke Newington in 1900 Stoke Newington History

Occasionally local families also used the services of an ayah or amah from the Home in Hackney. Visit by 27 Aug. More info 👉 bit.ly/3dSUO0C ayahshome Stoke Newington History hackneychinese Hackney Chinese Sch Love Hackney

Sometimes the families employing ayahs and amahs for the voyage to the UK treated them very well. At other times, they were quite keen to get their holidays started! Visit by 27 Aug. More info👉bit.ly/3dSUO0C ayahshome

Do you remember when you joined Twitter? I do! #MyTwitterAnniversary

So thrilled to announce our involvement with Mayor of London's Culture team Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan for this episode in the podcast series #OurLondonOurSpaces - out now! #ayahshome