As we move into April, and towards Easter, we continue to welcome clients to the Refugee Project from across the world, with most recent arrivals predominantly from Kuwait, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Eritrea and Palestine. In February, 50 new clients registered at the project, and we are currently supporting between 400 and 500 clients and families each month. For those forced to flee their homes and seek refuge in a foreign land, the welcome they receive can provide some comfort in otherwise challenging circumstances. Your support continues to be vital.
In addition to food parcels and toiletries distributed, thanks to the generosity of parishes and individual donations, our clients also appreciate the fresh food that we provide to them weekly. This is sourced from local supermarkets and also from FareShare, whom we recently registered with. We have recently learned that Newcastle City Council are including the project in its Food Insecurity Scheme and have agreed to cover the costs of FareShare for one year, which is great news, allowing us to use funds for other essential items.
It is always useful to visit other organisations that provide support to those in need in our communities to share ideas on current practice. Recently Azad, our Project Co-ordinator and one of our volunteers visited the Destitution Project in central Bolton, which offers support to asylum seekers in that area. The trustees provided a very warm welcome. It was very useful to observe another project in action and to see the many similarities, but also some differences in operation to take back and discuss.
In addition to providing clients with food, clothing and household items, on a day-to-day basis, through conversations with clients, our volunteers become familiar with their needs and endeavour to signpost them to the services that can provide them with support. Our Project Co-ordinator also has close connections with the North East Refugee Service. All our destitute clients, in particular, are referred to this service for support.
Often newly arrived clients can have no clothes apart from the ones that they are wearing and so the support of the SVP in providing clothes is very much appreciated. Recently we received a very generous donation of brand-new women’s clothing from the charity Stella Maris, for which we are most grateful.
We continue to rely on the generosity of individuals and parishes for donations for which we are incredibly grateful. Items most urgently needed can be found here.
Please note that the project will not be open on Good Friday, 18 April or Easter Monday, 21 April.
As we continue to support so many clients and their families each month, financial support for our work is also essential. Details of our bank account (DHN Justice & Peace Refugee Project) can be found on our webpage. Please consider Gift-Aiding your donation, if possible, it makes a big difference. You can download and submit a Gift-Aid Declaration form for a single or multiple donation. Visit our Donate and Gift Aid page now.
For more details about our work and how you can assist, please contact our Project Co-ordinator by email: jp.refugeeproject@diocesehn.org.uk or visit our webpage.
Happy Easter to you all from the Justice and Peace Refugee Project.