Activism
Fundraisers & Organisations Supporting Refugees That You Can Back From The UK
There's so much you can do to help.
Where is our humanity? That is one of the questions raised by viewers and advocacy groups this week after BBC News and Sky News aired footage of refugees travelling by boat across the English Channel. The news broadcasts showed a crowded dinghy attempting to reach Dover while the refugees inside bailed out water with plastic receptacles. The videos have since been labelled as de-humanising.
According to statistics from UN Refugee Agency, there are 25.9 million refugees in the world today. This is the highest figures ever seen. And that is before you even add in the challenges of a global pandemic. Drawing attention to these facts, and — crucially — celebrating the creativity, resilience, and stories of refugees in the UK, Refugee Week has grown into a worldwide festival since its inception in 1998. This year, World Refugee Day was marked on June 20, and World Refugee Week ran between 15-21 June. But the work continues beyond these international events, as the media's coverage and government's response so clearly shows.
But what can you do to support? So much. By donating to charities and fundraisers, you’ll help support efforts to protect refugee’s rights. There’s also a number of talks, podcasts, and books available so you can learn about some of the experiences of refugees and the people working to advocate for them. Here are a selection of fundraisers and organisations to support refugees all year round.
Organisations To Support
The UN Refugee Agency
The UN Refugee Agency is a leading organisation that provides resources to help save lives and protect the rights of refugees and people who have been forcibly displaced from their homes. Established in 1950, they work across the globe to better the lives of millions of people.
Refugee Action
Refugee Action works alongside people who have escaped some of the most traumatic situations and terrible regimes. They provide them with support so they can find housing and rebuild their lives.
Women For Refugee Women
Women For Refugee Women works with refugee and asylum seeking women, empowering them to speak out and advocate for change. They’ve created a network that has sought to end isolation and bring people together who have gone through similar things.
Young Roots
The London-based organisation was founded in 2004 and has partners in Nepal and Lebanon. Young Roots works with young refugees and asylum seekers, seeking to improve the life chances and quality of life for young people in the UK and abroad.
The Refugee Council
The Refugee Council works with thousands of refugees every year. From the moment they arrive in the UK they provide practical health and crisis support. They also help refugees integrate into communities and facilitate counselling services.
Doctors Of The World
Described as "a humanitarian movement", Doctors Of The World works to ensure people have access to safe medical care. They work in marginalised communities, advocating for their healthcare rights and providing crucial care.
The Worldwide Tribe
This online platform shares the stories of refugees, advocates for their rights, and provides help and resources for people in refugee camps around the world. Donations help run projects on the ground and supports volunteers.
Fundraisers To Support
Refugee Week
Refugee Week is an organisation that works with a number of partners to put together a festival every year. This year all the events are online and range from seminars and talks to exhibitions and music. By donating to Refugee Week it helps to run the events and support volunteers.
Refugee Action Coronavirus Emergency Fund
During the COVID-19 pandemic refugees stand as one of the most vulnerable groups in society. The Refugee Action Coronavirus Emergency Fund will ensure that Refugee Action can continue to work and adapt, continue to support those who need it, and deal with the long term impacts of the pandemic.
#SafeSpace
To celebrate Refugee Week, Youth For Refugees is holding #SafeSpace. Home and safety look like many different things to different people. The organisation is asking people to take a picture in their safe space with a heart sign. They’ll create a collage to highlight that having a safe space is a fundamental human right.
Racial Justice Network
On June 17, the Migration Matters Festival have teamed up with the African Voices Platform to host the Racial Justice Network. It’s likely that you’ll have seen ‘decolonize’ attached to workplaces, education institutions, and charities. However, this discussion will highlight the real power behind the word.
RCF Rohingya Appeal
The Refugee Crisis Foundation has set up a GoFundMe in aid of Rohingya refugees who have already gone through one of the worst ethnic cleansings of our recent times. Funds raised will go towards providing education, medical care, and food to those who need it most.
Black LGBT Refugee Relief Fund
Out and Proud African LGBTI (OPAL) was established in 2013 in the Netherlands and UK. It’s a group made up of African LGBTQ+ refugees and asylum seekers. They established a GoFundMe to raise money for displaced people struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. They provide peer support and safe spaces for people in real need.
Brands To Support
Ben and Jerry's UK
Through their Cone Together initiative, Ben and Jerry’s UK has worked towards supporting marginalised communities around the globe for four decades. They’ve done this by building connections with people who have been displaced and organisations that can help them. During Refugee Week 2020 it’s facilitated a conversation with NaTakallam about the misconceptions about refugees.
Made51
Made51 is a brand created by the UN Refugee Agency and provides support and resources for refugee artisans to sustainably build their product lines. It helps displaced people create and sell their products globally. Their items are unique and ethically-sourced.
Choose Love
Choose Love has raised money for millions of refugees around the world. Their signature T-shirt is super popular and meant that the brand could aid Help Refugees in providing support, care, and resources for displaced people. Every item on their website represents an item or services similar to what they provide on their projects around the world. Your gift will be sent to a person in need.
How To Learn More
As with any experiences that go beyond your own, the only way to learn more is to educate yourself. Seek out other voices; listen to their stories. This is not an exhaustive list, but a starting point, drawing out podcasts, articles and books to pick up first.
Podcasts
Syrian asylum seeker Abdulwahab Tahhan looks at the unique issues facing those starting a new life. The FT calls it "illuminating and darkly funny".
Refugees’ Stories brings the war in Syria home, inviting you to sit in a refugee’s tent and listen to their story.
Speaking with different people working across the refugee sector in each episode, Migrant Ground highlights the challenges, contribution, and impact of migration and refugees in the UK.
Created by Somaye Zadeh, this 'Home Cooking' Podcast uses poetry and sound artistry to examine the current refugee crisis.
Looking into "the world that's being created in the cracks of the crisis", this podcast analyses how coronavirus is affecting the people we don’t usually hear from.
Created by human rights activist and podcaster Jaz O’Hara, Worldwide Tribe tells the stories of the people behind the statistics and the headlines.
Articles
Freedom from torture. Testimonies of real-life accounts of people who have fled torture to find safety in the UK
10 Common Refugee Misconceptions via NaTakallam
Five Myths About The Refugee Crisis by Daniel Trilling for The Guardian
After The Pandemic, A Global Hunger Crisis by Arif Husain for The New York Times
Global Storytelling Night via Refugee Council and Counter Arts
Books
The Displaced by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen invited 17 fellow refugee writers to share their experience in what is a powerful dispatch from across the globe. Proceeds go towards the International Rescue Committee.
Violent Borders by Reece Jones
Geographer Reece Jones's book explores the ways that borders have evolved overtime and the profound implications these "lines on a map" have on human rights and international relations.
The Girl From Aleppo by Nujeen Mustafa
Nujeen Mustafa's story is breathtaking, and co-written by Christina Lamb, the Prize-winning journalist and co-author of I Am Malala. Born with cerebral palsy, she makes a harrowing journey from Syria to Germany in a wheelchair.
How To Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa
"Thammavongsa’s gift for the gently absurd means the stories never feel dour or predictable, even when their outcomes are by some measure bleak," wrote The New York Times, which beautifully encapsulates this tome.
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