​“I shut down because I couldn’t stand up” Dania Alrefai was a child when she witnessed atrocities in Syria before finding sanctuary with her family in Hertfordshire.  Now a University student and a member of Herts Welcomes Refugees’ Advisory Group, Dania talks to Babs Michel on BBC Three Counties Radio about her hopes and fears for the future following the fall of Assad: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0kb8jkv

Check out the link to read about our Warm Welcome Fundraising Appeal, sending e-cards by talented refugee artists, our Forced to Flee report, a video on a busy year and more!

Today sees the launch of our Warm Welcome Fundraising Appeal.  

Please give what you can to help us continue our work supporting refugees and asylum seekers in Hertfordshire.  Thank you so much!

Further to our support of the Refugee Council's paper: Rescue, Recovery and Reform, we are pleased that the Home Office has announced that newly recognised refugees will be given 56 days to find a place to live, double the current 28-day period.. Although this is only a pilot, as the Refugee Council states:

'Today's welcome news should help people who have been given refugee status have enough time to find accommodation, work and other necessities to rebuild their lives in Britain.'

Last week, two of our volunteers went to Mix FM 92.6 for an interview with Elly O'Mara for her morning show.   You can hear clips from the interview below.

Dr Marianne Coleman speaks about the Forced to Flee report, where she interviewed 35 young male asylum seekers about how they were forced to flee their homes and make perilous journeys here.

And volunteer Helen Singer speaks about what Herts Welcomes Refugees does, and how you can help.

​Do have a listen.

We support the new briefing paper from the Refugee Council which calls for:

• An immediate repeal of the Illegal Migrant Act and the Safety of Rwanda Act
• Introducing a clear and transparent plan for how the backlog of asylum claims will be processed and prioritised
• Moving away from the current system of private accommodation contracts and instead empowering local councils to provide value for money housing
• Extending the move-on period from 28 days to 56 days after someone receives a positive decision on their asylum claim
• Putting in place a team within the Home Office to review all asylum refusals that have been appealed to ensure the correct decision was made first time
• Limiting the conduct of age determinations to staff with relevant training
• Expanding safe routes, including by making a clear commitment on refugee resettlement
• Implementing a more effective voluntary returns programme.

Read the full briefing paper at ​https://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/information/resources/rescue-recovery-and-reform-towards-an-effective-asylum-system/www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/information/resources/rescue-recovery-and-reform-towards-an-effective-asylum-system/

See our volunteer coordinator Ruhena speak with GoVolHerts about the support you receive when volunteering with us.  Read more on our volunteering page: Volunteer

We are delighted that our report:  Forced to Flee: Testimonies from young refugees in Hertfordshire is published today.
 
Dispelling the myth that young men arriving on our shores are just economic migrants, our report has found that young male asylum seekers arriving in Hertfordshire fled their homeland because of ill treatment and fear of persecution.
 
The young men had jobs and stable families, but were forced to leave their homes because their lives were in danger – beaten, threatened, captured, arrested, through no fault of their own. Their journeys here were dangerous, and they encountered further abuse as they attempted to make their way to safety.
 
The findings come from an in-depth report by our volunteer Dr Marianne Coleman, who interviewed 35 single men claiming asylum in Hertfordshire between March and July this year.
All were under 35 years old when they left their home countries, the majority under 25 and several aged only 18 or 19.  They had all claimed asylum in the UK during 2022, and after approximately two years, had just been given refugee status.
 
The interviews have been compiled into a powerful report published today Forced to Flee: Testimonies from young refugees in Hertfordshire.

Here our volunteer Helen speaking on Heart Radio about the report:

Partnership working!  We are always looking for ways to work in partnership with other organisations for the benefit of those we support. Our Chair, Irene, and trustee, Kate, were introduced to the CEO of Emmaus, a charity and community working together to end homelessness, at a conference and started a conversation about working together.
 
Since then, Emmaus has responded to individual requests and then Gemma, Business Development Manager at Emmaus, contacted us in the summer  with an offer of solid, quality furniture (chests of drawers, small tables, bookcases and bedside tables) that was no longer needed in a Cambridge college.
 
This furniture was offered free of charge as part of Emmaus’ solidarity initiative. Transport costs are so often a barrier to taking up offers of donated furniture, but Emmaus kindly agreed to deliver items in return  for a small contribution from HWR.
 
Our volunteers Helen and Jane contacted asylum seekers who had recently received refugee status and needed furniture for their new accommodation.  Then, Helen liaised with Emmaus about the complex delivery schedule.  In early October over thirty items were delivered to 10 local families and  single people, a very long day for Robert the driver and his crew of two Emmaus companions. People are delighted to have such great furniture to store their things as they begin to make their homes here in Hertfordshire.
 
Gemma said: ‘We were delighted to be able to support Herts Welcomes Refugees with this project, and with their wider work to welcome and support refugees and asylum seekers in Hertfordshire. Solidarity is a huge part of what we do here at Emmaus Hertfordshire – projects like this can be very valuable for Emmaus companions as it is often key to helping to rebuild self-esteem, proving that everyone has the capacity to make a difference to the lives of others. Our two charities are united in a belief that everyone, no matter who they are, deserves a safe place to call home, and we at Emmaus Hertfordshire are especially proud to work with a charity like Herts Welcomes Refugees, who do such fantastic work supporting people to build a new life here in our county.’
 
Thank you so much to Emmaus, particularly Gemma for thinking of us, Robert the driver, the Emmaus companions and of course our wonderful volunteers.

Take a look at this link for news about what is going on at Herts Welcomes Refugees. If you don't receive this in your email inbox, just sign up at this link.