The Ukraine Crisis: Organisations supporting Refugees in the UK
With the war in Ukraine as present and shocking as ever, we take a look at some of the organisations supporting refugees and asylum seekers across the UK.
In the midst of the devastating crisis in Ukraine, it’s been amazing to see the European community band together in its efforts to support the Ukrainian people. Be it through material or financial donations, volunteering to pack and drive packages to the border, or hosting refugees across Europe - every individual act has spoken to the immense power of unity and compassion in the face of violence.
As more of the Ukrainian people are forced to flee their homes and join the world’s growing refugee community, the need for organisations who support refugees and asylum seekers is perhaps more clear than ever.
So, we’ve decided to take a closer look at some of the incredible organisations in our network supporting refugees across the UK; empowering them through education, training, employment and social initiatives to support them in rebuilding their lives.
“50% of all refugees able to work are unable to find employment in the UK”
NEMI Teas and TRAMPOLINE Cafe
A report published by the Centre of Migration, Policy and Society at the University of Oxford found that around 50% of all refugees living and able to work in the UK were unable to find employment; for those that did work, their average salary was around 55% lower than that of UK-born employees.
In an effort to combat this employment inequality, Pranav Chopra - a social entrepreneur and passionate change-maker - began NEMI Teas, a sustainable tea company based in London.
NEMI Teas provides employment to refugees, giving them local work experience and developing their professional and interpersonal skills, helping them to integrate into the UK workforce and UK society more broadly.
Recently, the team behind NEMI Teas set up TRAMPOLINE, a cafe in Angel, to further support the integration and training of London’s refugee community. At TRAMPOLINE, refugees and asylum seekers receive broad hospitality training, gaining all the skills they need to confidently enter the workforce whilst receiving a full-time wage throughout.
Drawing on the power of social connections, compassion and ethical awareness, TRAMPOLINE seeks to challenge employment disparity in the refugee community whilst creating a space in which all members of the community can integrate and thrive. By doing so, it supports refugees to find meaningful employment and build positive futures in the UK.
ReLinkt
Providing another clear avenue for employment is the organisation ReLinkt, who connect language learners in the UK to refugee and migrant teachers, providing them with a source of stable employment and a clear way to utilise their skills. ReLinkt was founded to eliminate some of the employment barriers facing refugees when they first arrive in the UK, such as lack of experience in the UK market.
Founded by friends, Livia and Raneem, ReLinkt’s mission is to tackle widespread underemployment within the migrant community, particularly amongst skilled refugees.
Fairbeats!
With studies showing loneliness and isolation to be the largest challenge faced by refugees in the UK, the work of organisations like Fairbeats to provide asylum migrants with companionship, community and a sense of belonging are incredibly vital.
Fairbeats is a music charity focussed on young refugees, asylum seekers, newly arrived migrants and their families. In collaboration with community centres across South London, they work with families from all over the world.
They use music to connect, integrate and support communities, creating a space of refuge where people can build meaningful relationships with others over shared experiences. Their sessions involve singing, song-writing and playing instruments, along with other artistic activities. By bringing people together through creativity, they hope that young members of the refugee community will develop a sense of belonging and kinship that will support them as they build a life in the UK.
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