Meet our Donors – “Creating positive change” with Elinor Chohan MBE

Elinor’s contributions extend far beyond financial support. She is a champion of inclusivity and social cohesion, evident in her various roles, including her position as Chair for the North West Regional Board of the charity Remembering Srebrenica until January 2024, Trustee of the British Muslim Heritage Centre, Chair of the Altrincham Interfaith Group, and her three-year tenure on the Greater Manchester Race Equality Panel, which concluded in December 2023.

“It started all the way back to my childhood”

“I was brought up in a rural farming community in North Wales, and what strikes me when I look back is the camaraderie of the local community, who were mainly farmers and how they would always be there to help each other. Whether that was getting the harvest in or if there was a cow having difficulty calving, they all seemed to help each other achieve their common objectives.

“The other big turning point for me was probably 25 years ago. Our family business was in clothing manufacturing and when my husband worked with factories in Pakistan, I would visit with him. Seeing the poverty there, was quite different to what I’d been exposed to here in the UK. There was one instance that I can remember very clearly - we gave money to a little girl begging on the street and as we walked away, we turned around and saw an adult beat her and take the money. That experience planted the seed in me to want to help these children, and soon after, we set up our family charity, Miri Roshni.”

“Philanthropy isn’t just about giving; it’s about creating positive change.”

“Realising my privilege in accessing education and witnessing first-hand how education is the main route out of poverty or improving your circumstances really motivated my decision to support the First Generation Programme. As I’ve got older, I’ve looked deeper into my faith and giving in charity or the Zakat as we call it in the Islamic faith, this has played a big part in the work I do. I believe that philanthropy isn’t just about giving, it’s about creating positive change. 

Elinor finds special meaning in the tangible impact of the First Generation Programme “Seeing the difference that the Programme achieves is very special to me. The retention rates amongst First Generation scholars are better than their peers because they’re getting the support they need, which shows the difference this programme is making. What First Generation does beautifully is that it enables students to succeed and reach their aspirations with financial, academic and career support. This inspires me to use the First Generation Programme as a model of best practice when supporting the educational journey of young people in the care of Miri Roshni so that they too can be enriched by education and go on to inspire and benefit their communities”

“Enabling everyone to have the same opportunities in life”

“My faith is central to my focus on access, equality, and inclusion. The work I’ve been involved in surrounding diversity and inclusion has shown me that though people are different in so many wonderful ways, we share so much. We all hope for good health, we want access to education and safe housing for example. The idea of supporting others, to create a better world for everyone is not idealistic, it’s an ambition worth striving for. By doing so, you raise each other, it’s about mutual success, and in the end, we all benefit. 

Elinor describes being a donor as “the best feeling,” knowing that she’s making a positive impact. “When you meet beneficiaries, you know that you’re making a difference. It also makes me feel grateful for what I have got and that I can improve the lives of others. The other thing you gain as a philanthropist is that it connects you with different communities. For me, it has expanded my world, to understanding the problems and challenges that others face. For example, seeing the smiling faces of children dancing around a newly built water well sounds basic in many ways, but for them, it’s life-changing, just as accessing an education can be for our First Generation students.”

“Generosity has the power to fuel things that haven’t even entered the imagination yet.” 

Looking to the future, Elinor emphasises the transformative power of generosity. “The ultimate difference I would like to make through my support is to ensure that university is accessible to anyone who wishes to pursue it, and we should support that dream. The knock-on effect is that you nurture people and their creativity, ability, and the innovation they might bring to society.

“Any contribution, no matter what size has the potential to create a real tangible difference in the lives of students and in the research and discoveries that will benefit wider society. Generosity has the power to fuel things that haven’t even entered the imagination yet. As a supporter of Manchester Met, I feel I’m supporting a better future for myself and more so, for our future generations and for my own family.”