Elvis Fernandes and Angela Joyce De Souza.
LONDON
A couple who were active in politics and community service in Canacona-Goa have been continuing these activities in the UK.
Elvis Fernandes and his wife, Angela Joyce De Souza, achieved some political success on November 23 when Elvis got elected as delegate to the Constituency of the Labour Party (CLP) Brent West Parliamentary constituency, while Joyce was elected as the CLP Women’s Officer in the Labour Party of Brent West Parliamentary Constituency, an area in North West London.
Elvis Fernandes had been active in politics as a former Congress block president in Canacona for around 16 years and had also served as Deputy Sarpanch of Loliem-Polem panchayat Canacona taluka.
“In fact, my passion for politics began while I was studying at Mallikarjun College of Arts and Commerce in Chaudi-Canacona and got elected as General Secretary of the Students Council,” said Elvis.
Elvis moved to the UK in 2019, but his passion for politics continued and he eventually joined the Labour Party on 2021.
“I decided to join the Labour Party as I was involved in social work in the UK,” said Elvis.
“Joyce and I help people with information on how to go about with applications for various schemes and benefits provided by the Government, which include bereavement schemes, life insurance claims, homeless applications, universal credit, child benefits, etc.,” said Elvis.
Before arriving in the UK, Joyce was a practising lawyer and had been involved in legal literacy camps at Canacona.
“As a lawyer practicing in Canacona, I organised many programmes and was selected as a legal aid speaker for many court programmes in Canacona Taluka. I was involved in creating awareness about the rights of women and dealt with many social issues like dowry, Save Girl Child, female infanticide, divorce, alimony, rape, sexual assault at work- places, domestic abuse, etc.”
Joyce joined Elvis in the UK in 2020 and since then, both have been involved in community service by reaching out to Goans and other communities.
“We organise community activities or programmes like The London Road Street Party, Christmas Carols, Easter Dine and Dance, etc.,” said Joyce.
In July this year, Joyce was elected as the NHS Governor (National Health Services) for Brent, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow and Ealing. She happens to be the first Goan NHS Governor in these boroughs.
On November 23, Joyce was elected as the CLP Women’s Officer in the Labour Party of Brent West Parliamentary Constituency, making her the first Goan CLP Women’s Officer of the Labour party in the Borough of Brent.
“My previous experience as a lawyer has, in a way, helped me to get elected as the CLP Women’s Officer,” said Joyce.
As an elected CLP Women’s officer, I will try to engage women from different communities. I will coordinate with the police about general issues faced by women in Brent, which include racism, domestic violence, homophobia, misogyny, sexual assault at work places, etc.”
“I will take the responsibility of creating awareness among women of the help available to them and the various ways of approaches they could take to resolve their issues. I will also organise programmes to engage women with different backgrounds and diverse communities with the help of the CLP Brent West.”
Incidentally, Joyce is also a compere and master of ceremonies, having hosted a number of events in the UK.
“I do these shows during my leisure time. Elvis and I will continue doing more social work so that we can reach out to the community as a whole,” Joyce added.
