Welcome to our new Director, Katie Allen-East

We are so pleased to introduce our new Director, Katie Allen-East who starts her new role with us on 16th February.   Katie chatted to our volunteer Helen:
 
We are delighted to welcome you Katie.
 
Thank you! I am really excited.
 
I see you that you have a lot of experience in the charity and development sector.  Can you tell us a little bit about this, and your experience and interests?
 
I decided at quite an early age that I wanted to work for people affected by violence and conflict, so I studied “Post-War Recovery Studies”, which included my first experience directly with refugees as we did field research with Iraqi refugees in Jordan. Since then (almost 20 years ago) I’ve worked for a wide range of INGOs across programme management, fundraising and operations roles - most recently as the Director of Global Grants Management for Women for Women International and Head of Development at EduSpots. I’ve travelled to many conflict affected countries and listened to displaced people in places such as Iraq, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Romania. 
 
Alongside this, I’ve been a passionate volunteer since I was a teenager, always having some kind of volunteer role - although these have been very varied - alongside my day jobs. When I lived in south-east London I volunteered for and then became a trustee of Action for Refugees in Lewisham, where I learnt a lot about the UK refugee support sector. A couple of years later, I helped to set-up a baby bank called MammaKind - where I now remain a Trustee and we’ve reached over 7000 family members experiencing poverty (including many with insecure immigration status) since 2020. 
 
What led you to apply for the Director position with Herts Welcomes Refugees?  Is there a particular motivating factor?
 
There are a few motivations that made me very excited when I saw the role advertised in the newsletter. As mentioned already, I’ve worked with people affected by conflict for most of my career and this passion really came from my own family history. My grandparents were refugees to the UK, and growing up hearing about the persecution they and their families’ faced, their incredible journey to seek safety, and how they rebuilt their lives in the UK meant I always had a really strong empathy for people facing similar struggles today and also an appreciation of how incredibly lucky I was to have a safe and secure home. I think it was this feeling that led me to wanting to work in the charity sector and, with people facing conflict and displacement in particular.
 
As well as this, whilst I’ve loved working internationally for most of my career, I was excited about the idea of switching to work more with my local community. I moved to Hertfordshire 5 years ago, have two children now and feel very settled here but working with colleagues overseas all the time meant I was a little disconnected from where I’m actually based. I’m really looking forward to meeting people across the county and getting to be part of the incredible HWR community.
 
What will your role as Director involve?
 
Since it’s a brand new role I’m sure it will evolve over time depending on needs. But, in essence it will involve working with the trustees and volunteers to ensure we’re providing the best possible services to refugees and asylum seekers. This may include finding ways to make our systems more efficient, to improve the quality of service provision, to ensure compliance with all appropriate laws and regulations, to offer more consistent services, or meet new needs. I will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the charity, as well as contributing to strategy and sustainability. 
 
How do you think Herts Welcomes Refugees can best support asylum seekers, refugees and its volunteers? 
 
This is a little hard to say until I really get stuck into the role and can understand what’s needed in more depth. The key thing for me at the start will be listening to our volunteers and asylum seeker and refugee partners to understand their key challenges and where HWR can realistically support or improve. I know there are many barriers facing refugees and asylum seekers, including decision making timelines, finding housing, employment, and so on. We can’t solve all of these problems but I’m sure what the volunteers do makes a difference and hope we can continue to provide a range of moral and practical support. 
 
This is a challenging time for refugees and asylum seekers. How do you think Herts Welcomes Refugees can make a difference?
 
It is definitely a difficult time, but I understand that after some of the protests last summer HWR actually saw an increase in people getting in touch wanting to volunteer. This gives me huge hope and shows how the narratives we hear in the news are not how everyone feels by a long way. I think HWR can make a difference by continuing to provide a warm welcome to those arriving in Hertfordshire and reminding them that there are many people who do care and support them; by continuing to tell the real stories of asylum seekers and refugees, busting some of the myths and fake news that go around; and by bringing people together and providing a channel for those who want to take positive action. 
 
What would you say to anyone thinking of becoming involved with Herts Welcomes Refugees?
 
Do it! Volunteering is so rewarding in so many ways - you meet great people, learn new skills,  and feel great for using your time in such a valuable way. It can help you professionally if you’re looking for certain experience, but equally it can just be a way to do something different from your usual day-to-day and gain a new understanding. 
 
There are a huge variety of different roles that HWR needs support with, so whatever your interests, skills and availability, there’s very likely to be something that can suit you. Get in touch to find out more!