MIGRANT HELP
IMPACT REP ORT 2019/20 8
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Those six words, though small, show the huge impact of our s go to work every morning and why we are so grateful for the s and volunteers.
We’re proud to aid vulnerable migrants find their voice, helpin no-one falls through the gaps. 8
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ervices. It reminds us why we support of our partners, colleagues
ng them on their journey and ensuring
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Changing Perceptions - Asylum Services
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Active Change - Refugee Week
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Changing for Good - Move On
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Changing Futures - Sherko’s Story
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Managing Change - Victims of Slavery Support Services (VSSS)
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Change for the Better - Eskander’s Story
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Change Thinking - Anti Slavery Day
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Lasting Change - Vulnerable Person Resettlement Scheme
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Changing Opinions - Door to Door Poetry
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Profound Change - A Case Study
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World Changing - EU Settlement Scheme Advice
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Changing the Narrative - Clear Voice
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Unchanging - Covid-19
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Where We’re Changing Lives
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Our Strategy for Change - Strategy + Values
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Game Changers - Our Thanks
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Agents of Change - A Big Thank You
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Time for Change - The Neil Wildman Children’s Fund
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Caroline O’Connor 8
Chief Executive
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Asylum Services 35,566 people claimed asylum in the UK in 2019. Our role is to provide them with the help, support and advice they need. Migrants are often vulnerable people. Through our work, we guide them during this apprehensive time, protecting their human rights. In January 2019, we were thrilled to be awarded the AIRE (Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility) contract by the Home Office. This new contract allows us to take a more holistic approach to assist asylum seekers. We hit the ground running with an intense period of transition and preparation. During that time, we focused on: developing existing partnerships with accommodation providers as well as establishing new ones, preparing our technology and IT systems and recruiting and training brilliant new team members. By April we had started delivering the service to some locations, and by September we were up to full speed. The demand for AIRE was much larger than we anticipated and whilst it did take us aback, we tried to assist as many people as possible. We pushed forward, working with our sector partners and the Home Office to adapt, and by early 2020 we had significantly improved delivery. This is something we continue to build upon every day.
This year we supported 31,164 people who claimed asylum in the UK and submitted 15,566 applications for support. We are committed to progressing our services so that we can continue to deliver this vital work. No one should face adversity alone, that's why we're here to help. 8
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Seeking asylum is complex. But we’re working hard to demystify the process. We want to make the journey of claiming asylum as transparent as possible. To do that, we’ve created a series of animated videos clearly explaining the stages of the process, as well as producing physical guidebooks for all asylum seekers. This booklet accompanies them throughout their entire journey, from claiming asylum, to the post-decision period. It is available in 12 languages and we provide each client with a copy. You can access the guide via our website as well.
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Refugee Week 2019 Refugee Week is a UK-wide festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees. Migrant Help is one of the main partners of Refugee Week and, as with every year, we marked 2019 with events across the country. This year, more than 1,200 people took part in events, coffee mornings and workshops organised by our colleagues. Here are a few of the highlights:
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Move On Claiming asylum is only one step of a person’s journey. Once the Home Office has made a decision on whether to grant them refugee status, they are faced with another challenge: preparing for their new life in the UK, appealing the decision or leaving the UK. Helping migrants at this tense time is a crucial part of the work we do. This can include advice on housing, preparing for employment, or deciding on next steps following a negative decision.
Mo’s story After securing her refugee status, Mo needed help finding her feet. Unfortunately, Mo is very hard of hearing and so she couldn’t receive our Move On service via the phone. Instead, she visited the office of our service partner, Reed in Partnership, for support. The team there helped Mo apply for housing and get in touch with JobCentre Plus. However, Mo’s journey didn’t end there. Mo was very motivated to start working, to support her family, but her hearing difficulties meant she couldn’t understand what was said when the job agencies called her. She had made them aware of her severe hearing difficulties and asked them to email or text, but frustratingly they continued to phone. Mo reached out to Reed in Partnership for support. They helped connect her to the government-funded employment service who in turn assisted Mo with her CV. We’re pleased to say that Mo was offered an interview and got the job. 18
Hello Jenny, I hope this finds you well. I am ever so grateful for your help. Just to fill you in, I now work with B & M in Hunts Cross. I love the job and my colleagues are really helpful and understanding of my hearing issues. Just wanted to pass my gratitude for forwarding my name to the Growth Company and according me this great opportunity. I truly appreciate your help. Kind Regards, Mo”
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Sherko's Story: from fleeing religious persecution to a life of helping others
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Sherko’s story I’m Sherko and I live in Derby, I am originally from Iran. However, being a Christian, I had to leave in 2015; the Iran government is Islamic and does not accept different religions. By being Christian I risked being killed. I came to the UK seeking safety and freedom. On my first day in the UK, a police officer told me, “Don’t be scared, everything will be okay. Life is sometimes hard, but we will keep you safe.” Those words changed my life; I decided to spend my life helping people, just as that officer did. Since then I have been supported and assisted by different services to build my life here. I began studying and volunteering in various roles to use my skills to help others, including:
Computer technician at SmileTelecom, helping refugees, asylum seekers and army veterans with their devices. Warehousing volunteer at Derby Refugees Solidarity. Graphic Designer at IM SAVVY, creating leaflets, posters and flyers for different events. ICT tutor at JEM Centre, assisting refugees in learning computer basics. Since arriving I have studied for 12 different certificates, and after months of working and studying very hard, I was able to get paid work. Next, I plan to start studying for my TWI Diploma in Coded Welding as well as GCSE English and Maths. I will never stop growing and building myself up to make a bright and brilliant future! 22
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Victims of Slavery Support Services (VSSS) Updates: There are more slaves in the world today than at any other point in history; an estimated 40 million men, women and children. One in four is a child under 18. Migrant Help has been assisting survivors of human trafficking since 2008. We provide safe accommodation and support in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In the past year, VSSS service has nearly doubled the number of individuals supported. Whilst we are proud to be able to assist these people – this number indicates a troubling demand for this service. This has resulted in us opening new bases in Greater London and Oxfordshire. But a growing team means more resources, diversity and support, not only for those in need but the staff themselves. We are only as strong as our team. It is their hard work, compassion and humour that delivers such a high-quality service under intense pressure. We’re privileged to work with excellent partners, who help support our services. Some of the best moments of this year have come from these collaborations. Here are a few highlights:
Success of the HSBC Survivor Bank Accounts. Helping people to find freedom through work and financial independence. Partnership with Their Voice and Refuweegee who have provided Welcome Packs for new arrivals. Porchlight who have assisted clients with move-on needs to prevent homelessness. Anchor for psychological trauma support for our clients and Crisis counselling for emergency counselling support for our clients.
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“Olesya has been very very supportive and encouraged me so much. I owe a lot to her amazing work. She is there for me always. Helped me with my confidence, registered me with a doctor, and counsellor. She saved me in many ways.”
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Eskander’s story: from running from the fear of being killed to being an award-winning runner.
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Eskander’s story - from running for his life to becoming and award-winning runner. Eskander was 24 years old when his trafficking nightmare began. He was living in Ethiopia, unable to find employment, when he was offered the chance of paid work on a construction site in Sudan. He worked 15-hour shifts, 8am - 11pm and wasn't paid. He was constantly threatened with violence and threats were made against his family as a means of controlling him. Eskander was sold to three different trafficking gangs. He eventually ended up in Italy and had only been there a short period of time when he fell victim to a very serious assault. As he had entered the country illegally, he felt unable to report the matter or present himself for medical attention for the horrific injuries he received. When his injuries had started to heal, he was assisted in making his way to the UK. Eskander feared that should he remain in Italy, he would be killed by those who had attacked him. Eskander sought asylum in the UK and it was only during his interview with the Home Office that he felt safe enough to disclose what had happened to him. Eskander consented to enter the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) and was offered the services of Migrant Help. He finally received the support and care he had needed for so long.
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Since arriving in the UK, Eskander has attended college and kept Migrant Help up to date with his wellbeing and achievements. He's become a keen running enthusiast and has even won some awards. Eskander recently received a positive Conclusive Grounds decision and we connected him to another organisation offering support and assistance to victims of human trafficking (post NRM). He continues to live a happy healthy life.
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Anti-Slavery Day As part of Anti-Slavery Day, we created a 2-minute educational video. It covered the definition of human trafficking and slavery, how it happens, different kinds of exploitation and importantly how to get help. In raising awareness, we hope to offer support to those affected and help prevent more people being trapped in these situations.
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Clients supported:
646
(395 male, 251 female)
Types of exploitation: Labour exploitation Sexual exploitation
56%
19% (124)
Criminal exploitation Domestic servitude
(363)
11% (72)
10%
(67)
Nationalities (supported clients from 61 different nationalities):
Vietnam
123 (19%)
119 71
Albania UK
(18%)
(11%)
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Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme Updates: In September 2015, the Government committed to bringing 20,000 vulnerable Syrian refugees into the UK by 2020 under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme. The scheme is an international collaboration between the UNHCR, Home Office, IOM, local authorities and organisations like Migrant Help. The flight from Syria to the UK makes up just 5 hours of what is a lifelong journey for refugees. We're there from the moment their feet touch the ground, helping them to settle into their new community. Our VPRS service is small but mighty. We may only assist 100 individuals in a year, but each interaction is quite literally life changing. Our job is to help them get set-up: from learning English to accessing healthcare, sorting out energy suppliers, education and employment. We also refer some cases to specialist support if they are dealing with past trauma. Education is a powerful tool when it comes to integration and welfare. We arrange ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) lessons and use Concept Training to further opportunities in employment and education. To make this education as accessible as possible, we have a financial support scheme to secure childcare and, if needed, online classes for the extremely vulnerable.
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This service is continuing to grow year on year and our experienced team are honoured to play a part in helping to resettle and reconnect individuals and families who make the UK their home.
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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
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Door to Door poetry Rowan McCabe is a door-to-door poet. As the name suggests, he knocks on doors, hears people's stories and translates them into poetry. We collaborated with Rowan to tell some of the stories of people Migrant Help are working with in the Kent area. “It’s telling that war has come up in each conversation,” Rowan told us. “Maybe this sounds obvious, but it feels painfully clear to me how much this has affected, and continues to affect, every element of these people’s lives.”
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Nour’s story One such story is that of Nour and her parents Reem and Hasan. The family fled Syria for Lebanon, but Nour stayed behind to try and complete her studies. However, with a backdrop of bombs and heavy fighting, after three years she joined her parents. Lebanon, unfortunately, did not solve their problems. Classes were expensive and “people hate Syrians”, says her father Hasan. The family’s life changed when they had the chance to come to the UK. Nour is currently studying at the local college and has applied to study architecture at the University of Kent. The family are happy and safe. Hasan said “Our English neighbours are very helpful. The government, school, college, everybody. In this country, nothing is impossible.”
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She’s sat at the back of the architecture class, a film without any subtitles. This isn’t English, or French, or Arabic; it’s a torrent of technical terms spraying from the lecturer’s lips; an alien transmission seemingly designed to be as confusing as humanly possible. She pulls out a pen, takes a deep breath, reminds herself this is just another step. In Syria, she studied by candlelight, the shadows danced across the plastered walls, bounced on to pages, made facts hard to explain.
Rowan McCabe
Later, when the bombing started, she learned too much, and day after day: How a street can decay, how a home can hollow out, the way foundations rest on something less predictable than the ground. She flew to the UK with a faith that over rubble there is always space to rebuild. On her student card is the name Nour, she’ll tell you it’s impossible to forget because it means light and without light there can be nothing. When she applied, they asked her why she wanted to study architecture. She told them she had been studying it, for as long as she could remember.
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Chrissie Moat, Team Manager, Migrant Help 8
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A case study: In February our team had the pleasure of being part of our second family reunification. For myself and the three other advisers that attended this was our first experience. It is one I’ll never forget. At first, when we received the news that three families would be arriving on the same day there was an overwhelming feeling of the operational complexities this would include. We did not realise how blessed we would be to be a part of this. Those arriving were connected to a family already living in Kent. The arrivals were the husband's parents, his brother and his family and his sister and her family. We invited the Kent family to join us at the airport ready for their family’s arrival. They were in high spirits and waited eagerly for their family to arrive. They hadn’t seen each other in four years. At that moment I truly understood the resilience our clients have. To be able to build a life, learn a language and integrate into a new country, all whilst coping with the devastation of leaving their families behind, not knowing if they are safe or not. They waited in anticipation by the arrival gates for what was going to be one of the most important moments of their lives. As the arriving family members walked through the gates, they dropped their bags where they stood and the husband, wife and their three children ran over to greet them. It was at this moment we realised how incredible this was. Many of the team had to fight back tears. The families greeted each other with such love and emotion, and it was something the team and I will never forget.
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Being a part of this reunification has opened my eyes not to focus on the workload these things entail, but to be forever grateful that I have the pleasure of having a job which holds such treasurable moments with a consistent feeling of reward. Chrissie Moat, Team Manager, Migrant Help
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EU Settlement Scheme Advice Update: Brexit is a confusing time for many of us. But for EU citizens across the UK who need to fill in applications to remain in their home, there is an added stress. For the vulnerable, or those with limited English language skills, the 'simple' act of filling in an application can be very difficult. Migrant Help was awarded EUSS funding in May 2019 to help these people in the South East, London, West Midlands, East Midlands and the North-West. To deliver this project, we harnessed the power of community engagement. Our advisers worked in their local area and ran community partnerships to help those in need. With schools, colleges, social housing, employers and local authorities – we created drop-in sessions to raise awareness. We also attended EU citizens events to share information by talking to participants and distributing leaflets in multiple languages. Social media also played a huge part in promoting the project. Through Facebook and Twitter, we widened our net, with nearly 300,000 people seeing our posts.
Through combined methods, a total of 5,006 people were reached during this project and 3,386 were supported in completing applications. 8
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Esi’s story. Our client, who we will call Esi, was a non-EU mother from Ghana who has a Biometric Residence Card. Esi is a victim of domestic abuse, at the time we met she was staying in a refuge with her three daughters. The perpetrator was her husband and EU sponsor. Whilst this didn’t impact Esi’s application, it did make managing her daughters’ more difficult. The children had already made applications with their father - meaning that security access had to be through him. But, as Esi and her children were estranged from him, she needed to be able to access the children's applications herself. We contacted the EU resolution centre through a three-way call and requested to change the contact details after going through a series of security questions. Esi has received confirmation of her pre-settled status and I have explained to her how to eventually apply for settled status. As for the three children, we are still awaiting confirmation that the contact details have been updated which will allow them to access their status through their mother instead. The family are now in their own home, away from the abuser and are managing just fine.
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Clear Voice Clear Voice offers high-quality interpreting and translation services throughout the UK and is the only social enterprise service of its kind. All of Clear Voice’s profits are donated to Migrant Help to support our work combatting human trafficking and assisting migrants in need. Clear Voice has had an incredible year; we’ve seen growth in all services and increased our customer base. A highlight of the year was in December 2019 when we were announced winners of the Tech for Good Award from Social Enterprise UK. We’ve continued to contribute to the asylum and refugee sector in new ways by delivering talks to community groups about interpreting, having our articles featured in industry magazines. We were also awarded funding to put 12 refugees on interpreting courses, opening up routes to employment.
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Supporting Covid response Clear Voice, the social enterprise subsidiary of Migrant Help, undertook pro-bono translation work with Doctors of the World. They helped to translate their Covid-19 guidance, making it accessible to more people, particularly to refugees and asylum seekers. Clear Voice translated 32 documents covering 16 languages which provided the momentum to start a chain effect – there are now 43 translations thanks to other agencies and individuals who have also joined to help! The Clear Voice team are now also working with British Red Cross on the next set of pro-bono translations.
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Covid-19 We’re proud to have continued supporting our clients throughout Covid-19. It's important to us that we have kept operating in a time when those who need us are more vulnerable than ever. The global pandemic has meant some changes in how we do things. But we've worked hard to ensure this doesn't adversely affect the lives of our clients and the support we provide. The safety of our team and those who use our services are paramount. Here are a few ways we've adapted:
Every service outlined in this report has continued operating during the various stages of lockdown. We have worked tirelessly with our regional teams to continue the essential work Migrant Help does. Whether that meant picking up the phone instead of hopping in the car or creating Covid safe face-to-face meetings, where necessary. Our asylum helpline in partnership with Connect Assist (which, between January and October 2020 answered on average 1193 calls a day), kept waiting times to under a minute during lockdown. We are continuing to transfer the calls of those who need it to specialist advisers. The wait times of these are under constant improvement. Whilst many of our advisers needed to work from home, we have maintained a presence in our initial accommodation offices throughout 2020. As always, our team at Migrant Help have gone above and beyond. As an organisation, we are proud of each colleague and grateful to them and all our partners. Their compassion and commitment to providing vulnerable migrants with the advice and support they need during these challenging times is inspiring.
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Belfast - Northern Ireland Glasgow - Scotland Wakefield - North East, Yorkshire and Humberside Liverpool - North West Birmingham - West Midlands Derby - East Midlands Cardiff - Wales Croydon - London & South East Belfast - Northern Ireland Glasgow - Scotland Dover - South East Bedfordshire/Cambridgeshire/Hertfordshire/East Anglia/Suffolk Oxfordshire/Buckinghamshire/Berkshire Hampshire/West Sussex/Surrey Essex/Middlesex Kent/East Sussex East Midlands West Midlands Merseyside Lancashire Staffordshire (Stoke on Trent) Sussex Surrey Kent Dover - Kent 64
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We believe everyone deserves to feel safe and have their human rights protected.
We exist to support people who are impacted by displacement and exploitation to thrive as individuals by: 68
We respect and celebrate everyone’s individual experience and ensure inclusion is at the heart of our work.
Supporting people most in need and least likely to receive support elsewhere
We believe in fairness and equality of opportunity. This is central to everything we do.
Working with communities to bridge gaps and co-ordinate services
We are committed to working in partnership and with all those who help us achieve our vision.
Demonstrating the value that migrants bring to the UK
We are committed to embracing new ways of working that deliver ever more effective services
Influencing positive change to policy and practice
We are dedicated to providing the best quality services and achieving the highest standard of client care.
We will enable this by developing our staff and volunteers to deliver the best possible outcomes for clients.
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Activator Birmingham The Active Wellbeing Society A La Carte Recruitment The Alexandra The Ambassador Theatre Group Anchor Psychological Trauma Services Anchor Church Ark Boulton Academy Asina Project Assured IT Solutions Aston Villa Asylum Link Asylum Matters Asylum Support and Immigration Resource Team (ASIRT) AvISO Azad Supermarket, Birmingham Babel’s Blessing Balsall Heath Church Belfast Health and Social Care Trust Bell House The Berkeley Partnership A Better Tomorrow The Big Issue Bikes for Refugees Birmingham City Council Birmingham Community Hosting Network (BIRCH) Birmingham Settlement Centre Black Country Women’s Aid, Sandwell BRC Brightwork Recruitment British Red Cross The Brook Trust Browne Jacobson LLP Brum Scrubs Bryson Care Bryson Charitable Group
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Bryson Intercultural Buzzacott LLP Cambridge Ethnic Community Forum Carriers of Hope Celebrating Sanctuary Birmingham Central and West Integration Network (CWIN) Central England Law Centre Charity Candy Cheshire, Halton & Warrington Race and Equality Centre The Children’s Society Citizens Advice City of Sanctuary, Leicester City of Sanctuary, Wakefield Clearsprings Ready Homes Ltd Cliftonville Community Centre Code Your Future Company of Dreams Composers Network Connect Assist Counselling All Nations Counterpoints Arts County of Sanctuary Pembrokeshire Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre Cranswick Country Foods PLC Crawley Library Crisis Counselling Croydon Adult Learning and Training (CALAT) Croydon Refugee Day Centre Department of Justice, Northern Ireland
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Diversity Northern Ireland Doctors of the World Dover District Council Dream Chaser Youth Club Drug Outreach Team The Entertainer ENTRAIDE Mutual Aid Envision Envolve Wellness ESOL coordinators in Folkestone, Dover, Thanet and Swale Extern Eyst Wales FabLab, Coventry FareShare Fircroft College Firs Primary School Flourish Folkestone and Hythe District Council Free Art Freedom from Torture The Garth Doubleday Trust Glasgow Life Gym Govan Law Centre Granby Toxteth Development Trust Greenwich University: The SIREE Project Happy Baby Community The Harbour Project Helen Bamber The Home Office Homeplus NI Hope Centre Derby HostNation HSBC Dover Human Appeal IMIX International Organization for Migration JobCentre Plus JustRight Scotland
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Kensington Community Learning Centre Kent County Council Kent Police Kent Refugee Action Network Keystone Innovation Centre King Edward VI Aston School Krispy Kreme, Birmingham, New St Station Krispy Kreme, Birmingham, Selfridges Bullring & Grand Central Lancashire BME Network Leicester City Council Lilacs in Bloom The Links Project Local Welcome Maslows Community Shop Mata Sahib Kaur Educational Trust The Maybury Centre Mears MicroRainbow NW Millie’s Cookies, Birmingham Millie’s Masks Miton Systems Morrisons, Birmingham, St Andrew’s Shopping Park Morrisons, Shirley National Education Union National Westminster Bank Plc Near Neighbours, Birmingham The North of England Refugee Service New Beginnings, Warley Baptist Church New Philanthropy Capital New Routes Newhaven Library Nordoff Robbins Norfolk Community Law Service
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Norfolk Library Northern Ireland Community of Refugees & Asylum Seekers (NICRAS) Nottingham & Notts Refugee Forum Nottingham City Council Oasis Cardiff Oasis Church Oxfam Papcom Pastry House Perkbox Picton Children’s Centre Police Scotland and the National Human Trafficking Units Police Service of Northern Ireland Polish Millennium House Positive Action in Housing Positive Youth Foundation Rah Rah Theatre Company Reed in Partnership RefAid Refugee Action The Refugee and Migrant Centre (RMC) Refugee Council Refugee Rights Refugee Roots Refugee Week RefuWeeGee REP Theatre Requisite Rev Jane Morgan Roma Community Care Rosmini Centre Routes Salma Zulfiqar The Salvation Army Samphire Scottish Government Scottish Refugee Council Seasiders Learning Centre
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Serco Separated Child Sharewear Shout Out for Sport Sid Peacock and Ruth Angell Sifa Fireside Solidarity With Refugees Southwark Day Centre for Asylum Seekers Sponsor Refugees Spring to Life St Aloysius Church ESOL St Chad’s Sanctuary St Francis of Assisi Church St James’ Centre St Werburgh’s Church Storehouse, Belfast Strategic Migration Partnerships Strategic Migration Partnerships, West Midlands Streets LLP Student Action for Refugees (STAR) Swale Borough Council The Tara Service TechResort Their Voice Trinity Safe Space UNHCR University of Liverpool: Interchange Uni Project University of Birmingham Voices in Exile Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust Welcome Organisation Welsh Refugee Council We Stand Together West Kent Extra West Yorkshire Destitute Asylum Network (WYDAN) Night Shelter Wirral Change Young Roots Your Local Pantry
We’ve supported more than 35,000 vulnerable people this past year. This life changing help wouldn’t have been possible without our incredible staff, volunteers, partners and trustees. We are hugely grateful for everything you’ve done. From the team at Migrant Help and our clients, thank you.
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The Neil Wildman Children’s Fund This year marked a huge loss for Migrant Help, that of Neil Wildman, our colleague and dear friend. Neil had been part of the Migrant Help team for nearly two decades and was one of our longest-serving employees and a valued member of our Finance team. Neil was passionate about helping others, be that his team or our clients. Colleagues would often contact him about cases of client hardship, most often involving children. They knew that Neil would do all he could to help. Like much that he did, he did it quietly, with little fanfare, but a deep, abiding sense of fairness and justice. We’re honouring Neil’s memory by setting up a fund specifically for cases of hardship involving children – the Neil Wildman Children’s Fund. Children are a particularly vulnerable group of migrant and displaced populations. Those we meet through our services may have been affected by modern slavery or are awaiting a decision on an asylum claim. Many have been through suffering and great adversity. We are determined to do all we can to bring a bit of happiness into their lives and by contributing you will be giving them a moment of joy and hope.
Through this appeal, we are aiming to raise £56,000 to mark the 56 years of Neil’s life.
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Registered Charity (England and Wales): 1088631 Registered Charity (Scotland): SC041022 Company No (England and Wales): 4172880 Copyright © 2020 Migrant Help. All rights reserved.
www.migranthelpuk.org
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info@migranthelpuk.org
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01304 203 977
Registered address: Migrant Help, Kemp House 160, City Road London, EC1V 2NX
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