The Justice and Peace Refugee Project continues to welcome hundreds of asylum seekers every month, with new clients registering each week from many places in the world, such as Sudan, Iran, Kuwait, Yemen, Libya and Afghanistan. Some of our clients have been coming to the project for years, while others only use our service for a short time as they are relocated elsewhere in the country.
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.
During Refugee Week this year, the Refugee Project joined with the SVP to celebrate the theme of Community A Superpower. Posters were distributed in different languages encouraging our clients to share their stories in writing or images to create a Hope Tree.
In addition to Refugee Week, National Volunteer Week also fell in June. The project is very thankful for its amazing volunteers (we have 44 currently) who hard work and with dedication to provide support to one of the most vulnerable groups in society. Volunteers are the backbone of the project, involved in a range of activities and tasks. We are very grateful for all their contributions and always look forward to welcoming new volunteers.
We are extremely grateful for the generous donations of food from organisations such as Neighbourly, local supermarkets, the SVP and other supporters – these donations make a significant impact to the project. Thanks to this support, we are now able to provide essential items on a regular basis, such as cooking oil, which were once considered luxuries. The increased supply of food has also allowed us to build a reliable stock, ensuring more consistent support for those in need.
Our Project Co-ordinator, Azad, is always keen to share the work of the project with others. Recently, he had the opportunity to present to the National Strategy Group of Citizens UK, an organisation that aims to overcome injustice, bringing together everyday people and local organisations to build a better, fairer society. In his presentation , he shared both the situation of asylum seekers in the North East area and the work that our volunteers do to have meaningful impact on our clients.
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.