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We raise money to fund refugee projects
When choosing projects to support, there are some factors we prioritise:
DIGNITY // Organisations that act with respect and treat all humans equally
BUILDING COMMUNITY // Organisations run by the local community or those with refugee experience
FLEXIBILITY // Small, non-bureaucratic organisations that can adapt to their community's changing needs
DIGNITY // Organisations that act with respect and treat all humans equally
BUILDING COMMUNITY // Organisations run by the local community or those with refugee experience
FLEXIBILITY // Small, non-bureaucratic organisations that can adapt to their community's changing needs
We're flexible as to what we fund, and listen to the organisation's self-described greatest needs.
In most cases the greatest needs are running costs. Projects often close because they can't get funding for the boring stuff like rent, bills and maintenance. You can't take great pictures of it, and it doesn't make newsworthy impact statistics, but boy is it important.
In most cases the greatest needs are running costs. Projects often close because they can't get funding for the boring stuff like rent, bills and maintenance. You can't take great pictures of it, and it doesn't make newsworthy impact statistics, but boy is it important.
Since 2016, Thighs of Steel cyclists have helped raise
£651,304
to support refugees and asylum seekers in the UK, Europe and beyond
It's amazing what can be achieved by a community of ordinary people determined not to be bystanders
Keep reading for a breakdown of where the money has been spent...
£651,304
to support refugees and asylum seekers in the UK, Europe and beyond
It's amazing what can be achieved by a community of ordinary people determined not to be bystanders
Keep reading for a breakdown of where the money has been spent...
2022: GLASGOW TO ATHENS
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In summer 2022 our 93 cyclists not only cycled 5,428km from Glasgow to Athens, but also raised a thighs record-breaking £114,632 for grassroots refugee projects through charity MASS Action.
MASS Action volunteers distributed most (but not quite all) of the funds over winter 2022-23 and we were wowed by the diversity of organisations supported across the whole range of activism and migrant solidarity. |
It's such a lot of money that we have had to split the pie chart into three sections.
No fewer than 16 projects are supported, including a large grant to Khora Athens, the solidarity community centre that Thighs of Steel was originally set up to support.
The remaining funds were split between 7 projects receiving £5,000 or over (what we've called medium grants) and another 8 receiving amounts less than £5,000 (small grants). In addition, we must account for the £3,300 paid for using the Justgiving platform.
No fewer than 16 projects are supported, including a large grant to Khora Athens, the solidarity community centre that Thighs of Steel was originally set up to support.
The remaining funds were split between 7 projects receiving £5,000 or over (what we've called medium grants) and another 8 receiving amounts less than £5,000 (small grants). In addition, we must account for the £3,300 paid for using the Justgiving platform.
The calculator-tappers among you will notice that there is STILL another £7,445 of our fundraising left for MASS Action to distribute over the coming months where need is greatest. We'll update this page when that is done.
This is the emotional bit where we look at some charts, read some words and try to connect with the hundreds of people across Europe whose lives will be touched, in big ways and small, by the energy and love that our 93 cyclists and 2,946 donors pumped out into the world through what is, ultimately, just a big bike ride.
Thank you, everyone, and especially to all the projects listed on this page. We are excited to help support the real work - your work.
This is the emotional bit where we look at some charts, read some words and try to connect with the hundreds of people across Europe whose lives will be touched, in big ways and small, by the energy and love that our 93 cyclists and 2,946 donors pumped out into the world through what is, ultimately, just a big bike ride.
Thank you, everyone, and especially to all the projects listed on this page. We are excited to help support the real work - your work.
KHORA - £36,386
Khora is a collective with members from all continents and backgrounds based in Athens, Greece.
Together, they run a community centre spread across three buildings in the city and provide services to anyone that needs them.
Many people in Athens have been displaced by poverty, oppression, climate change and war. Many face violence and deprivation at the hands of governments and corporations that put nationalism and profit above human life.
Khora provide things like hot food, asylum support, creative workshops and clothes - for free and without discrimination. Khora also aim for shared ownership of spaces by those who use them and the local community.
At Khora, people from different backgrounds can learn, work, create, socialise and relax together, making it a place for movement building as well as support.
The Khora collective values solidarity, autonomy, community, and the right for everyone to access the basic means to live in Athens.
Together, they run a community centre spread across three buildings in the city and provide services to anyone that needs them.
Many people in Athens have been displaced by poverty, oppression, climate change and war. Many face violence and deprivation at the hands of governments and corporations that put nationalism and profit above human life.
Khora provide things like hot food, asylum support, creative workshops and clothes - for free and without discrimination. Khora also aim for shared ownership of spaces by those who use them and the local community.
At Khora, people from different backgrounds can learn, work, create, socialise and relax together, making it a place for movement building as well as support.
The Khora collective values solidarity, autonomy, community, and the right for everyone to access the basic means to live in Athens.
CALAIS MIGRANT SOLIDARITY - £10,000
Calais Migrant Solidarity has been acting in solidarity with migrants in Northern France since 2009.
As the years and situations migrants face have changed, so has our work. We have consistently been involved in various practical solidarity activities which include cop watching, supporting people in taking and sustaining their autonomous living spaces, information sharing in and organising of non-mixed FLINTA* spaces, supporting people in the Coquelles detention centre and following their deportations, staying in touch with people after they cross to the UK, counting and organising commemor actions for those killed by the border, and overall trying to raise awareness about the violence of the UK's externalised border policy.
In recent years we have been very active supporting people travelling to the UK through our "Watch the Channel" project, in collaboration with Alarm Phone. Last year we also successfully organised a new squat which, following a ruling in the courts, will not be evicted for the next three years.
The grant from MASS Action will allow us to continue our work as one of the only autonomous groups left organising with people on the move in Calais, a place that has become dominated by professionalised humanitarian NGOs over the last five years. It was great for us to be able to find such a wonderful funding organisation who would support our work without asking us to compromise our beliefs or messaging.
The funds will be put to use improving the squatted house (now home to dozens of people in a migratory situation as well as European activists), sustain our ongoing work supporting Channel crossers with safety at sea risk reduction materials, and finally guarantee our future presence at this border through funding the overhead running costs of our office space.
As the years and situations migrants face have changed, so has our work. We have consistently been involved in various practical solidarity activities which include cop watching, supporting people in taking and sustaining their autonomous living spaces, information sharing in and organising of non-mixed FLINTA* spaces, supporting people in the Coquelles detention centre and following their deportations, staying in touch with people after they cross to the UK, counting and organising commemor actions for those killed by the border, and overall trying to raise awareness about the violence of the UK's externalised border policy.
In recent years we have been very active supporting people travelling to the UK through our "Watch the Channel" project, in collaboration with Alarm Phone. Last year we also successfully organised a new squat which, following a ruling in the courts, will not be evicted for the next three years.
The grant from MASS Action will allow us to continue our work as one of the only autonomous groups left organising with people on the move in Calais, a place that has become dominated by professionalised humanitarian NGOs over the last five years. It was great for us to be able to find such a wonderful funding organisation who would support our work without asking us to compromise our beliefs or messaging.
The funds will be put to use improving the squatted house (now home to dozens of people in a migratory situation as well as European activists), sustain our ongoing work supporting Channel crossers with safety at sea risk reduction materials, and finally guarantee our future presence at this border through funding the overhead running costs of our office space.
hakoura organic - £7,170
Hakoura Organic Farm is an ecological cooperative farm established by a group of Palestinian refugees in Greece.
The formation of the organisation came after the founders, Qais Hamad and Ahmad al-Shori, launched a pilot environmental farm project in 2020. In 2021 Qais and Ahmad embarked on a year-long process of assessing lessons learned from the pilot project, and researching and planning for a long-term farm project.
By 2022, Hakoura Organic Farms was born with an eco-farming approach dedicated to establishing autonomous and self-sustaining employment opportunities to refugees in Greece while also fostering and preserving Palestinian agricultural traditions and practices in Diaspora.
The key social mission of Hakoura is to transform refugee-aid-dependency into a refugee-support model that centres sustainability, solidarity, biodiversity and environmental preservation.
Through building relationships with local and international grassroots groups, the organisers launched a grassroots fundraiser titled “Solidarity Not Charity'' which allowed them to acquire land, seeds, tools, watering systems, materials to build a greenhouse, and even a commercial vehicle for the transportation of workers and produce.
Since its initial formation, Hakoura has rented 10 Dunams of land in the Greek village of Plateas and has cultivated a vast array of organic seasonal produce which its harvesters both enjoy and sell at an affordable costs through accessible means (via an online store/delivery system) to low income and refugee communities, and refugee-serving kitchens.
Yet the production and sale of the harvests are not Hakoura’s only achievements and objectives. Hakoura has facilitated an education and transformation practice which seeks to nourish social and cultural education on refugee issues, indigenous Palestinian seed and cultivation processes, awareness regarding environmental justice and the climate crisis, within Greece and across the world.
Through inviting communities to partake in the harvest production, and producing workshops on biodiversity, seed preservation and cultivation, and eco-farming approaches, Hakoura makes its own lessons free and available to the public in the spirit of collective community empowerment.
The formation of the organisation came after the founders, Qais Hamad and Ahmad al-Shori, launched a pilot environmental farm project in 2020. In 2021 Qais and Ahmad embarked on a year-long process of assessing lessons learned from the pilot project, and researching and planning for a long-term farm project.
By 2022, Hakoura Organic Farms was born with an eco-farming approach dedicated to establishing autonomous and self-sustaining employment opportunities to refugees in Greece while also fostering and preserving Palestinian agricultural traditions and practices in Diaspora.
The key social mission of Hakoura is to transform refugee-aid-dependency into a refugee-support model that centres sustainability, solidarity, biodiversity and environmental preservation.
Through building relationships with local and international grassroots groups, the organisers launched a grassroots fundraiser titled “Solidarity Not Charity'' which allowed them to acquire land, seeds, tools, watering systems, materials to build a greenhouse, and even a commercial vehicle for the transportation of workers and produce.
Since its initial formation, Hakoura has rented 10 Dunams of land in the Greek village of Plateas and has cultivated a vast array of organic seasonal produce which its harvesters both enjoy and sell at an affordable costs through accessible means (via an online store/delivery system) to low income and refugee communities, and refugee-serving kitchens.
Yet the production and sale of the harvests are not Hakoura’s only achievements and objectives. Hakoura has facilitated an education and transformation practice which seeks to nourish social and cultural education on refugee issues, indigenous Palestinian seed and cultivation processes, awareness regarding environmental justice and the climate crisis, within Greece and across the world.
Through inviting communities to partake in the harvest production, and producing workshops on biodiversity, seed preservation and cultivation, and eco-farming approaches, Hakoura makes its own lessons free and available to the public in the spirit of collective community empowerment.
MAZI X FORGE FOR HUMANITY - £5,000
Mazí's principal focus is to provide housing; FORGE supports access to human rights. Together, we provide one of the only safe, welcoming environments for displaced men in Athens: A Base for Support. Community is a basic need. Our shared space is the central hub that hosts all our activities: from legal aid to chats over cups of tea.
FORGE for humanity began at the end of 2017 when its founders witnessed the immense gap in services being offered to solo men in comparison to other demographics in the forced migrant community, and the effect that this had on their legal status, their mental health, and their wellbeing in general.
Mazí Housing Project was formed in 2018 when its founders saw how the asylum system and government priorities overlooked young men, and decided to do something about the homelessness this created.
Our collaboration, A Base for Support provides:
MASS Action funds will be used to run the base itself for six months: to pay the rent of the community space, to keep the lights on and the water running.
FORGE for humanity began at the end of 2017 when its founders witnessed the immense gap in services being offered to solo men in comparison to other demographics in the forced migrant community, and the effect that this had on their legal status, their mental health, and their wellbeing in general.
Mazí Housing Project was formed in 2018 when its founders saw how the asylum system and government priorities overlooked young men, and decided to do something about the homelessness this created.
Our collaboration, A Base for Support provides:
- An accessible physical location for solo men to seek safety and support
- Collaboration and capacity building across legal aid and casework
- A mutual referral pathway
- Better reach and capacity for awareness raising/advocacy for displaced solo men
MASS Action funds will be used to run the base itself for six months: to pay the rent of the community space, to keep the lights on and the water running.
BABYLON PROJECT - £5,000
Babylon Project is a registered community organisation run by refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, which provides creative activities for young people.
Our activities aim to address the disadvantage and exclusion experienced by refugees and asylum seekers living in the UK. Babylon Project provides a safe and welcoming environment in which young asylum seekers, refugees and migrants can take part in creative activities such as drama, storytelling, film-making and dance.
So far we have worked with partners such as Safe Passage, Fences & Frontiers, London Migration Film Festival and Woodcraft Folk, to run workshops both for young people with refugee, migrant or asylum seeker backgrounds, and for British young people to introduce them to allyship.
With funding from MASS Action, we will be running four months of creative activities, February-May 2023.
In these activities, young people from refugee, migrant and asylum seeking backgrounds will have the opportunity to learn from experienced facilitators in theatre, storytelling, art and film-making.
These sessions will take place bimonthly, and will be an opportunity for a core group of participants to make friends, have an opportunity to express themselves and their stories, and develop creative skills.
We will also be providing a hot meal and travel expenses for participants for each of our workshops, to make sure that there are no economic barriers for them to attend the workshops.
As part of the four-month programme, we will also be showing two of our participants how to become facilitators, so that they can join the Babylon facilitator team in future.
You can find out more about our work at www.babylonproject.co.uk, and on social media – @babylonproject on Instagram and @babylonproject1 on Twitter.
Our activities aim to address the disadvantage and exclusion experienced by refugees and asylum seekers living in the UK. Babylon Project provides a safe and welcoming environment in which young asylum seekers, refugees and migrants can take part in creative activities such as drama, storytelling, film-making and dance.
So far we have worked with partners such as Safe Passage, Fences & Frontiers, London Migration Film Festival and Woodcraft Folk, to run workshops both for young people with refugee, migrant or asylum seeker backgrounds, and for British young people to introduce them to allyship.
With funding from MASS Action, we will be running four months of creative activities, February-May 2023.
In these activities, young people from refugee, migrant and asylum seeking backgrounds will have the opportunity to learn from experienced facilitators in theatre, storytelling, art and film-making.
These sessions will take place bimonthly, and will be an opportunity for a core group of participants to make friends, have an opportunity to express themselves and their stories, and develop creative skills.
We will also be providing a hot meal and travel expenses for participants for each of our workshops, to make sure that there are no economic barriers for them to attend the workshops.
As part of the four-month programme, we will also be showing two of our participants how to become facilitators, so that they can join the Babylon facilitator team in future.
You can find out more about our work at www.babylonproject.co.uk, and on social media – @babylonproject on Instagram and @babylonproject1 on Twitter.
CHAMOMILE - £5,000
Chamomile provides supported housing for displaced people with mental health challenges.
We do this so they have space to meet their needs, build on their strengths and pursue their dreams. Our aim is to support our participants in their journey to improved mental health.
For this reason we provide holistic support, including accommodation, based on the belief that housing is both intrinsically linked to mental health, and a human right.
We provide housing, psychosocial support and basic needs oriented around each participant, with an emphasis on respecting and fostering autonomy.
We support each person to rent an apartment and build the relationships they need to sustain it, and we work with them to identify their needs, build on their strengths and pursue their dreams.
Our participants are refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. Since July 2020 we have supported 50 people from countries such as Congo, Syria, Togo, Algeria, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Iran, Iraq.
The funds provided by MASS Action will cover the rent for 4 apartments over a 6 month period (£4110), and the costs of a French/Lingala interpreter employed for 80 hours over the course of six months (£890).
Covering these costs are essential to participants' stability - for whom housing is the bedrock upon which their improving wellbeing rests.
Funding from MASS Action will ensure that participants can not only cover the costs of their rent, but that they can pay it in a way that builds their autonomy, ensuring they are responsible for and active in the financial maintenance of their apartment.
2023's program follows on from the Bridge Program, in which participants in 7 out of 8 apartments have the apartment lease and utility bills in their own name, understand the rights and responsibilities of their tenancy and have growing autonomy in matters concerning their apartments.
Participants have also made important strides in matters regarding paperwork, autonomous access to government services, application for benefits and moving into employment.
Chamomile will continue to support participants psychosocially and with accommodation matters in their journey to fuller autonomy throughout 2023.
We do this so they have space to meet their needs, build on their strengths and pursue their dreams. Our aim is to support our participants in their journey to improved mental health.
For this reason we provide holistic support, including accommodation, based on the belief that housing is both intrinsically linked to mental health, and a human right.
We provide housing, psychosocial support and basic needs oriented around each participant, with an emphasis on respecting and fostering autonomy.
We support each person to rent an apartment and build the relationships they need to sustain it, and we work with them to identify their needs, build on their strengths and pursue their dreams.
Our participants are refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. Since July 2020 we have supported 50 people from countries such as Congo, Syria, Togo, Algeria, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Iran, Iraq.
The funds provided by MASS Action will cover the rent for 4 apartments over a 6 month period (£4110), and the costs of a French/Lingala interpreter employed for 80 hours over the course of six months (£890).
Covering these costs are essential to participants' stability - for whom housing is the bedrock upon which their improving wellbeing rests.
Funding from MASS Action will ensure that participants can not only cover the costs of their rent, but that they can pay it in a way that builds their autonomy, ensuring they are responsible for and active in the financial maintenance of their apartment.
2023's program follows on from the Bridge Program, in which participants in 7 out of 8 apartments have the apartment lease and utility bills in their own name, understand the rights and responsibilities of their tenancy and have growing autonomy in matters concerning their apartments.
Participants have also made important strides in matters regarding paperwork, autonomous access to government services, application for benefits and moving into employment.
Chamomile will continue to support participants psychosocially and with accommodation matters in their journey to fuller autonomy throughout 2023.
WAVE THESSALONIKI - £5,000
Wave is a grassroots organisation that has been operating in Thessaloniki since 2018, providing for the essential needs of the city’s homeless population.
We have a specific focus on the undocumented population of people on the move (POM) who find it most difficult to access the asylum system; this is often because they come from “safe countries of origin” and therefore their asylum claims are largely considered manifestly unfounded.
Whilst this is our focus, we also work to provide for the local Greek population. We run a community centre, where people can access a daily hot meal, legal advice, information, electricity for charging mobile devices, a laundry service, a container with five running showers and sinks, a free shop, shoes and sleeping bags.
Wave was founded to fill a gap that no other services in the city were providing and to meet the needs of those often excluded from other places because of their lack of documentation.
There is currently no other project in the city that provides food, NFIs, laundry and showers on such a scale, without requiring registration or documentation. Whilst this is our focus, we are open seven days a week to everybody and anybody who comes.
The funding received will contribute towards a year’s salary for an operations coordinator, a role which ensures smooth coordination and management of daily operational activities at the centre.
We have a specific focus on the undocumented population of people on the move (POM) who find it most difficult to access the asylum system; this is often because they come from “safe countries of origin” and therefore their asylum claims are largely considered manifestly unfounded.
Whilst this is our focus, we also work to provide for the local Greek population. We run a community centre, where people can access a daily hot meal, legal advice, information, electricity for charging mobile devices, a laundry service, a container with five running showers and sinks, a free shop, shoes and sleeping bags.
Wave was founded to fill a gap that no other services in the city were providing and to meet the needs of those often excluded from other places because of their lack of documentation.
There is currently no other project in the city that provides food, NFIs, laundry and showers on such a scale, without requiring registration or documentation. Whilst this is our focus, we are open seven days a week to everybody and anybody who comes.
The funding received will contribute towards a year’s salary for an operations coordinator, a role which ensures smooth coordination and management of daily operational activities at the centre.
NO EVICTIONS NETWORK - £5,000
The network formed in 2018 in response to Serco evicting 300 asylum seekers and refugees onto the streets via ‘lock-change’ evictions.
We raised awareness for people to know their rights in the case of an eviction. We set up an emergency 24 hour phone line to respond to evictions, this is still running and used for response to raids, evictions, and for signposting people on to other services.
We set up neighbourhood groups, carrying out community organising to raise awareness and build solidarity in areas where asylum seekers were more often being placed.
We held 1 or 2 meetings per month to come together across all neighbourhood and campaigning groups, with a community meal, childcare, bus fares provided. We held demonstrations, vigils, and direct action campaigns against Serco.
In lockdown we provided direct support in the form of essential phone data and top ups in order to contact loved ones and community and to join Zoom meetings. We continued meeting over Zoom with 50 people joining online thanks to the data provided.
We did banner drops and photo campaigns to end hotel detention and held a vigil for Adnan who died under hotel detention.
We were a vital part of the Kenmure Street resistance, ensuring people acted quickly and helped spread the word to our wide reaching network in order to prevent the removal of the men. Anti-raids groups were established in key areas of the city following Kenmure Street.
We are now running monthly community meals and campaigning meetings led by those with lived experience of the asylum system, and specifically lived experience of the hotels, with 40-50 members per meeting.
We provide vital phone top-ups to 80 members per month and have 265 people in the main Whatsapp group.
We raised awareness for people to know their rights in the case of an eviction. We set up an emergency 24 hour phone line to respond to evictions, this is still running and used for response to raids, evictions, and for signposting people on to other services.
We set up neighbourhood groups, carrying out community organising to raise awareness and build solidarity in areas where asylum seekers were more often being placed.
We held 1 or 2 meetings per month to come together across all neighbourhood and campaigning groups, with a community meal, childcare, bus fares provided. We held demonstrations, vigils, and direct action campaigns against Serco.
In lockdown we provided direct support in the form of essential phone data and top ups in order to contact loved ones and community and to join Zoom meetings. We continued meeting over Zoom with 50 people joining online thanks to the data provided.
We did banner drops and photo campaigns to end hotel detention and held a vigil for Adnan who died under hotel detention.
We were a vital part of the Kenmure Street resistance, ensuring people acted quickly and helped spread the word to our wide reaching network in order to prevent the removal of the men. Anti-raids groups were established in key areas of the city following Kenmure Street.
We are now running monthly community meals and campaigning meetings led by those with lived experience of the asylum system, and specifically lived experience of the hotels, with 40-50 members per meeting.
We provide vital phone top-ups to 80 members per month and have 265 people in the main Whatsapp group.
SCOTTISH ASYLUM SEEKER RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION - £4,190
Scottish Asylum Seekers Resident Association (SASRA) was set up in 2009 by asylum seekers living in Glasgow, who were keen to act as a residents group to facilitate improved communications and liaison with the asylum seekers’ housing provider in Glasgow, to improve living conditions for asylum seekers and so asylum seekers knew their rights.
SASRA has run the following activities and projects over the period: annual Refugee Festival events enabling asylum seekers in the city to celebrate the contribution of asylum seekers to the cultural and social life of Glasgow and to raise awareness of the hostile UK asylum system and its impact on the rights and lives of asylum seekers.
We have also organised regular meetings with the Home Office and with the Home Office contracted housing providers (SERCO and Mears at different times) to raise issues of concern regarding poor quality housing for asylum seekers.
SASRA has also input to Scottish Government consultations on asylum seekers’ support in Scotland.
In 2021 SASRA was funded by The Robertson Trust to run a community development initiative and carry out member research into what asylum seekers in Glasgow want SASRA to deliver. This application is based on this community research.
SASRA has run the following activities and projects over the period: annual Refugee Festival events enabling asylum seekers in the city to celebrate the contribution of asylum seekers to the cultural and social life of Glasgow and to raise awareness of the hostile UK asylum system and its impact on the rights and lives of asylum seekers.
We have also organised regular meetings with the Home Office and with the Home Office contracted housing providers (SERCO and Mears at different times) to raise issues of concern regarding poor quality housing for asylum seekers.
SASRA has also input to Scottish Government consultations on asylum seekers’ support in Scotland.
In 2021 SASRA was funded by The Robertson Trust to run a community development initiative and carry out member research into what asylum seekers in Glasgow want SASRA to deliver. This application is based on this community research.
JUST ACTION - £4,000
Just Action started as a reaction to the lack of dignity and food security for refugees living in the camp on Samos. We had enough of witnessing inefficient aid and, still to this day, for us action is everything.
We aim to promote sustainable collaboration and understanding between the refugee community and locals on the island.
Our main project is our Free Market where we provide regular, constant support of food, hygiene products, clothing and shoes to everyone from the refugee community and local Greek families in need.
We operate with a no-waste principle, prioritise buying supplies locally and make it a point to be a multicultural team, mainly from the affected communities and all long-term living on Samos.
We additionally engage in supporting all camp residents with bus tickets to ensure freedom of movement for refugees on the island. With these tickets everyone is able to get away from the barbed-wired camp for accessing services, ours and others, in town.
Over the past two years we have supported with more than 31,000 food packs and countless hygiene and clothing items, creating better health and nutrition for thousands of refugees arriving at the border of Europe.
Through our Free Market we support people in a dignified way where people get to choose items themselves.
With the food packs people get the possibility to cook the preferred meals by themselves or in communities, which is central in strengthening people’s agency and dignity.
With the support from MASS Action we are able to continue our work in the Free Market.
All funds will go 100% to buying food items to strengthen food security. By providing a stable access to nutritious food together we create improved health and much more energy for people to engage in beneficial activities, like education or sports.
We aim to promote sustainable collaboration and understanding between the refugee community and locals on the island.
Our main project is our Free Market where we provide regular, constant support of food, hygiene products, clothing and shoes to everyone from the refugee community and local Greek families in need.
We operate with a no-waste principle, prioritise buying supplies locally and make it a point to be a multicultural team, mainly from the affected communities and all long-term living on Samos.
We additionally engage in supporting all camp residents with bus tickets to ensure freedom of movement for refugees on the island. With these tickets everyone is able to get away from the barbed-wired camp for accessing services, ours and others, in town.
Over the past two years we have supported with more than 31,000 food packs and countless hygiene and clothing items, creating better health and nutrition for thousands of refugees arriving at the border of Europe.
Through our Free Market we support people in a dignified way where people get to choose items themselves.
With the food packs people get the possibility to cook the preferred meals by themselves or in communities, which is central in strengthening people’s agency and dignity.
With the support from MASS Action we are able to continue our work in the Free Market.
All funds will go 100% to buying food items to strengthen food security. By providing a stable access to nutritious food together we create improved health and much more energy for people to engage in beneficial activities, like education or sports.
GATWICK DETAINEES WELFARE GROUP - £4,000
Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group (GDWG) is an independent charity that supports people during and after immigration detention at Brook House and Tinsley House Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) near Gatwick airport.
The UK is the only country in Europe that detains people indefinitely – when someone is detained they cannot count down the days until release, instead they experience each day in limbo and count up the days to an uncertain future.
GDWG supports people through personalised casework, offering trained volunteer-visitors who visit someone each week for the time they are detained, and practical support including phone credit and clothing.
When someone is released from detention, they are invited to join our walking community, Refugee Tales, which calls for an end to indefinite detention, and walks in solidarity with those who are detained or have experienced detention.
Many people are released from detention to destitution. During the pandemic we recognised an increasing post-detention need for support and our destitution fund was started to meet this need.
MASS Action are supporting the destitution fund enabling us to send monthly supermarket vouchers to people released from detention for a period of 3 months.
Such support enables access to healthy foods and over the three-month period we work with people to assist them to establish a support network in the community.
People have told us these vouchers mean they are able to support dietary needs and support their families. The agency and choice from these vouchers have improved health, lessened anxiety and increased human dignity.
The UK is the only country in Europe that detains people indefinitely – when someone is detained they cannot count down the days until release, instead they experience each day in limbo and count up the days to an uncertain future.
GDWG supports people through personalised casework, offering trained volunteer-visitors who visit someone each week for the time they are detained, and practical support including phone credit and clothing.
When someone is released from detention, they are invited to join our walking community, Refugee Tales, which calls for an end to indefinite detention, and walks in solidarity with those who are detained or have experienced detention.
Many people are released from detention to destitution. During the pandemic we recognised an increasing post-detention need for support and our destitution fund was started to meet this need.
MASS Action are supporting the destitution fund enabling us to send monthly supermarket vouchers to people released from detention for a period of 3 months.
Such support enables access to healthy foods and over the three-month period we work with people to assist them to establish a support network in the community.
People have told us these vouchers mean they are able to support dietary needs and support their families. The agency and choice from these vouchers have improved health, lessened anxiety and increased human dignity.
NO BORDERS MANCHESTER - £3,240
No Borders Manchester formed in 2018 via fundraising efforts for Manchester migrant justice groups whilst volunteering in Calais.
We soon realised that an effective strategy for organising in solidarity would be to directly work alongside people seeking asylum in Britain.
Since then, our work has taken many forms in collaboration with local groups, including information-sharing and education (social media campaigns, workshops, zines) and the development of community spaces (English classes, football clubs).
We work with those facing the hostile environment to produce events of solidarity and protest - such as our No Borders Day Festival in 2020.
We also provide practical support via a signing support network, accompanying those attending mandatory Home Office appointments. During COVID-19, we extended practical support by a no-questions-asked fund for those with No Recourse to Public Funds.
Protest and campaigning is central to our work; we mobilise against deportations via ‘Stop the Plane’ campaigns and have campaigned in resistance to the Nationality & Borders Bill - mainly through community flyering and informational workshops.
We’ve co-hosted protests with migrant justice and anti-policing groups, highlighting the connections between our struggles at the border and the hands of the state.
Most recently, we began hosting coffee mornings in Manchester to facilitate a space for our networks to build relationships and have fun.
The aim of this space is to demonstrate solidarity via community building and enjoying food together, whilst providing practical support where needed.
In these sessions we have explored different activities such as arts and crafts, bringing people together also by learning new skills.
We would hope to elevate the success of these spaces in creating a larger event led by and for our community of attendees, imagining a space where they can engage with and share ideas.
We soon realised that an effective strategy for organising in solidarity would be to directly work alongside people seeking asylum in Britain.
Since then, our work has taken many forms in collaboration with local groups, including information-sharing and education (social media campaigns, workshops, zines) and the development of community spaces (English classes, football clubs).
We work with those facing the hostile environment to produce events of solidarity and protest - such as our No Borders Day Festival in 2020.
We also provide practical support via a signing support network, accompanying those attending mandatory Home Office appointments. During COVID-19, we extended practical support by a no-questions-asked fund for those with No Recourse to Public Funds.
Protest and campaigning is central to our work; we mobilise against deportations via ‘Stop the Plane’ campaigns and have campaigned in resistance to the Nationality & Borders Bill - mainly through community flyering and informational workshops.
We’ve co-hosted protests with migrant justice and anti-policing groups, highlighting the connections between our struggles at the border and the hands of the state.
Most recently, we began hosting coffee mornings in Manchester to facilitate a space for our networks to build relationships and have fun.
The aim of this space is to demonstrate solidarity via community building and enjoying food together, whilst providing practical support where needed.
In these sessions we have explored different activities such as arts and crafts, bringing people together also by learning new skills.
We would hope to elevate the success of these spaces in creating a larger event led by and for our community of attendees, imagining a space where they can engage with and share ideas.
BIKES FOR REFUGEES - £3,000
Bikes for Refugees (Scotland) is a unique and successful community project with high impact and social return on investment.
Our strength is in our simplicity with access to bicycles and the transformational power of cycling providing freedom of movement and a free means of travel to isolated and socio-economically disadvantaged New Scots (refugees and asylum seekers).
With your support we can increase impact and empower many more New Scots to access essential services, meetings and community activities, as well as helping to promote physical health and mental wellbeing through cycling and being active.
We have come a long way since the distribution of our first bicycle in 2017 to Yaman a young Syrian asylum seeker resettling in the City of Edinburgh and looking for a cheap means of travel to explore his new surroundings and to help connect with local community services and meetings.
Fast forward five years and our hardworking and dedicated volunteers have supported over 1,900 New Scots through the refurbishment and distribution of donated bicycles from two established community hubs in the Cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Core activities are concerned with the refurbishment and distribution of free bicycles to individuals and families. We are however much more than a bicycle project with bikes and cycling being a means to support the resettlement of refugees and asylum seekers in Scotland.
Alongside distribution of bikes, we:
Our strength is in our simplicity with access to bicycles and the transformational power of cycling providing freedom of movement and a free means of travel to isolated and socio-economically disadvantaged New Scots (refugees and asylum seekers).
With your support we can increase impact and empower many more New Scots to access essential services, meetings and community activities, as well as helping to promote physical health and mental wellbeing through cycling and being active.
We have come a long way since the distribution of our first bicycle in 2017 to Yaman a young Syrian asylum seeker resettling in the City of Edinburgh and looking for a cheap means of travel to explore his new surroundings and to help connect with local community services and meetings.
Fast forward five years and our hardworking and dedicated volunteers have supported over 1,900 New Scots through the refurbishment and distribution of donated bicycles from two established community hubs in the Cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Core activities are concerned with the refurbishment and distribution of free bicycles to individuals and families. We are however much more than a bicycle project with bikes and cycling being a means to support the resettlement of refugees and asylum seekers in Scotland.
Alongside distribution of bikes, we:
- Support refugees/asylum seekers and other volunteers to access nationally recognised accredited bike mechanic training opportunities. Many volunteers are refugees and asylum seekers involved in refurbishing bicycles for their peers.
- Provide ‘Welcome Packs’ that contain essential information, resources and signposting to other free community services and supports when we provide people with bicycles.
- Deliver direct community group services where we are best placed to do so. This includes weekly community bike fixing and buddying sessions along with support and free community social meals.
MUSIKARAMA - £2,900
Musikarama is an independent grassroots project that connects people and communities through music.
It believes that music is a powerful tool for enforcing social inclusion, equality, solidarity and dignity (Karama means dignity in Arabic). Its values lie in embodying and spreading collective action, sharing of culture and art, and reciprocity.
We are located in Neapoli Exarcheia, in the center of Athens. We run a program of music lessons of various instruments (I.e. piano, guitar, drums, voice, etc). Our activities are held every day of the week and are free of cost for the participants, both children and adults.
Our community music school has a more holistic approach to musical education. We place a strong emphasis on self-guiding, creative freedom, while also providing students with the key skills and knowledge to allow them to develop their musicality with one on one tuition and support.
We avoid a strict student/teacher dichotomy, and encourage students to teach what they know to others. We support students to play music with others regardless of their professionalism or experience, by providing a musical environment without judgement. This allows for a safe space where everyone can listen to each other, building their confidence and allowing the growth of musical ability through collectivism.
Our music studio opened for all artists and musicians who share our values of respect and co-existence, although priority is given to asylum seekers, refugees, migrants and other minority communities facing racism and discrimination.
Athens is full of musicians, many of whom lack the resources and networks to record their music. Part of Musikarama’s mission is to grant people the time and space, to share both traditional and modern music with each other, and to record it so that they can share it with the world.
It believes that music is a powerful tool for enforcing social inclusion, equality, solidarity and dignity (Karama means dignity in Arabic). Its values lie in embodying and spreading collective action, sharing of culture and art, and reciprocity.
We are located in Neapoli Exarcheia, in the center of Athens. We run a program of music lessons of various instruments (I.e. piano, guitar, drums, voice, etc). Our activities are held every day of the week and are free of cost for the participants, both children and adults.
Our community music school has a more holistic approach to musical education. We place a strong emphasis on self-guiding, creative freedom, while also providing students with the key skills and knowledge to allow them to develop their musicality with one on one tuition and support.
We avoid a strict student/teacher dichotomy, and encourage students to teach what they know to others. We support students to play music with others regardless of their professionalism or experience, by providing a musical environment without judgement. This allows for a safe space where everyone can listen to each other, building their confidence and allowing the growth of musical ability through collectivism.
Our music studio opened for all artists and musicians who share our values of respect and co-existence, although priority is given to asylum seekers, refugees, migrants and other minority communities facing racism and discrimination.
Athens is full of musicians, many of whom lack the resources and networks to record their music. Part of Musikarama’s mission is to grant people the time and space, to share both traditional and modern music with each other, and to record it so that they can share it with the world.
LGBT UNITY - £2,000
LGBT UNITY GLASGOW is composed of LGBTQIA+ refugees and asylum seekers based in Glasgow, Scotland. There are more than 250 members in the group from the Global South with different forms of intersectional difficulties.
We conduct meetings every fortnight on Tuesday with an average of 70 – 80 people attending and we provide travel expenses to members attending the meeting and refreshments during meetings.
We are doing this to empower and give emotional and mental support to each other, as well as fighting together against racist and homophobic discrimination toward LGBTQIA+ individuals and helping people to overcome obstacles in their asylum cases.
In the most basic sense, the group aims to eliminate this barrier for people by providing essential needs and helping them with travel expenses that can make it possible for the group members to make the (often long) journey to be with other LGBT+ migrants and their allies in their community.
During our fortnightly meetings, which are peer-facilitated and non-hierarchal, we attempt to bridge gaps between people and to make a space where people can share their problems and work collectively to overcome the obstacles placed in their path.
7 years into our work as a group, it is clear that we have achieved and helped each other in immigration court hearings, in mental health related issues, and other forms of difficulties especially those who are destitute, not getting any financial support and are unable to buy food for themselves.
We conduct meetings every fortnight on Tuesday with an average of 70 – 80 people attending and we provide travel expenses to members attending the meeting and refreshments during meetings.
We are doing this to empower and give emotional and mental support to each other, as well as fighting together against racist and homophobic discrimination toward LGBTQIA+ individuals and helping people to overcome obstacles in their asylum cases.
In the most basic sense, the group aims to eliminate this barrier for people by providing essential needs and helping them with travel expenses that can make it possible for the group members to make the (often long) journey to be with other LGBT+ migrants and their allies in their community.
During our fortnightly meetings, which are peer-facilitated and non-hierarchal, we attempt to bridge gaps between people and to make a space where people can share their problems and work collectively to overcome the obstacles placed in their path.
7 years into our work as a group, it is clear that we have achieved and helped each other in immigration court hearings, in mental health related issues, and other forms of difficulties especially those who are destitute, not getting any financial support and are unable to buy food for themselves.
assist sHEFFIELD - £2,000
Since 2003, ASSIST Sheffield has worked to challenge the policy of destitution in the asylum system.
ASSIST works with people who, having fled from the unimaginable horrors of war or persecution, have sought sanctuary in the United Kingdom, only to have their application for asylum refused.
People who find themselves in this situation are made homeless, denied the right to work or to claim benefits, and are ineligible for secondary healthcare. They often become street homeless or forced into extremely precarious living situations.
ASSIST provides accommodation in shared housing, regular cash welfare payments, bus passes, and a bespoke casework service, giving people a period of stability and support from which they can begin to rebuild their lives.
A grant from MASS Action will contribute towards the costs involved with maintaining and running our accommodation during the ongoing cost-of-living and energy crises.
ASSIST works with people who, having fled from the unimaginable horrors of war or persecution, have sought sanctuary in the United Kingdom, only to have their application for asylum refused.
People who find themselves in this situation are made homeless, denied the right to work or to claim benefits, and are ineligible for secondary healthcare. They often become street homeless or forced into extremely precarious living situations.
ASSIST provides accommodation in shared housing, regular cash welfare payments, bus passes, and a bespoke casework service, giving people a period of stability and support from which they can begin to rebuild their lives.
A grant from MASS Action will contribute towards the costs involved with maintaining and running our accommodation during the ongoing cost-of-living and energy crises.
2021: SPELL IT OUT
With international travel still a little hairy, Thighs of Steel decided to focus our human rights campaigning and adventurousness within the UK.
Spell It Out was an ambitious plan to create the world’s biggest bike-powered GPS drawing, writing with our wheels the words ‘Refugees Welcome’ across the south coast of England, from Cornwall to Kent. In the end, 169 people took part in the challenge, including 63 on the 2,208km record-breaking relay. A blaze of publicity, including spots on the BBC, Sky News and Radio New Zealand, helped our tireless cyclists raise a fantastic £81,428. In keeping with the compassionate message that we created with our bikes, the money raised was granted to organisations that offer refugees and asylum seekers the warm welcome they deserve, both in the UK and on the borders of Europe. |
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SALUSBURY WORLD
LONDON, UK
LONDON, UK
THEIR WORK
Salusbury World are the only school-based refugee charity in the UK and work with refugee and migrant families to help children, young people and parents realise their rights and potential. They offer holistic support with everything from destitution and housing support to legal aid referral.
what we've funded
Part time salary for an administrative coordinator to help with their core operations. The team are currently completely overstretched with requests for support from all over London.
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HUMAN RIGHTS 360
NORTH GREECE |
FENIX
LESVOS, GREECE |
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THEIR WORK
Human Rights 360 provide legal aid and lawyer services for unaccompanied and separated minors. Human Rights 360 represent children during their asylum process and ensure they get access to protective services. Human Rights 360 also work with other vulnerable cases, such as LGBTQ individuals and victims of sexual and gender based violence. what we've funded
Operational costs at the Evros border and legal fees that will enable the team to take cases to the European courts. This grant is being used to cover the salary of a social worker, translation services, study analysis, field monitoring visits, lawyer costs and communication costs. YOUNG ROOTS
LONDON, UK THEIR WORK
Young Roots works with young refugees supporting them to improve their wellbeing and fulfil their potential, through intensive one-to-one casework, youth and sporting activities, English language mentoring, youth leadership and access to expert therapeutic and legal advice. what we've funded
Core costs, including contributing to one of their caseworker salaries. Young Roots offer specialist, wrap-around support to children and young people who arrived in the UK as unaccompanied minors. COVENTRY ASYLUM & REFUGEE ACTION GROUP
COVENTRY, UK THEIR WORK
CARAG is a grassroots migrant-led community organisation based in Coventry. They focus their energy on dismantling the 'hostile' infrastructure of the UK immigration system and helping migrant communities settle in the UK. what we've funded
Running costs of this community support group, including campaigning on issues such as giving asylum seekers the right to work, providing better housing for asylum seekers, and the end of the use of detention centres. |
THEIR WORK
Fenix offer their clients legal representation and information, as well as support with urgent medical needs, multiple asylum interview preparation meetings, and professional counselling. They also engage in ‘impact litigation’, using individual legal cases to effect structural changes to the law that result in positive outcomes for many other asylum cases. what we've funded
Core costs, including lawyers salaries. WEST LONDON WELCOME
LONDON, UK THEIR WORK
West London Welcome is a community centre run for and with local refugees, asylum seekers and migrants of all ages. West London Welcome take a holistic approach to support the needs of their members, from the practical and social to the emotional and playful. Activities at the centre include English classes, legal and housing advice, creative workshops - as well as a hot lunch. what we've funded
Salary for a caseworker to help with the huge numbers of people who are currently living in initial accommodation, in London hotels. EQUAL RIGHTS BEYOND BORDERS
ATHENS & CHIOS, GREECE THEIR WORK
Equal Rights Beyond Borders are an international team of lawyers, legal interns and interpreters. They specialise in reuniting families in Europe, securing individual rights within the Dublin system and on providing qualified legal support to asylum seekers in EU Hotspots in Greece. Services include assisting with family reunions, visa access, detention and severe human rights violations. what we've funded
Core costs, including lawyers’ salaries to provide legal assistance and representation to asylum seekers. |
2020: AROUND THE WORLD IN 40 DAYS
In May 2020, we launched Around the World in 40 Days, a lockdown-friendly challenge in partnership with our friends at Choose Love.
The idea was to see if we could collectively ride, run or roll the whole way around the world - a distance of 24901 miles. More than 550 people took part, each setting their own fundraising and distance targets. Incredibly, we ended up doing two and a half laps of the globe and, most importantly, we fundraised £133,361. Here's how the money was distributed - |
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THEIR WORK
Khora are a collective who run community spaces and facilitate the provision of services in Athens for people forced from their homes. Among the services are:
Freeshop - providing access to clothing and shoes, as well as essential basic toiletries, and blankets. Their vision is to move away from dehumanising distribution queues, instead allowing people a dignified free shopping experience, where they can choose items of clothing that both fit them and express their identity. In October 2019 the shop gave out almost 13,000 items.
Asylum Support Team - a team of volunteer caseworkers and interpreters who aim to fill the gap in information sharing and advocacy in Athens. They offer information and support to people navigating the asylum process, by helping them access other services, accompanying them to asylum and hospital appointments, and arranging appointments with qualified lawyers. In October 2019 Khora’s Asylum Support Team saw 80 people.
Cafe - A community cafe that provides people with a space to eat, build support networks, drink hot, sweet tea and relax. During the pandemic the need for food rose sharply, so Khora created a food delivery service (with the Athens Food Collective) and increased their daily meals from 500 to 2500.
Freeshop - providing access to clothing and shoes, as well as essential basic toiletries, and blankets. Their vision is to move away from dehumanising distribution queues, instead allowing people a dignified free shopping experience, where they can choose items of clothing that both fit them and express their identity. In October 2019 the shop gave out almost 13,000 items.
Asylum Support Team - a team of volunteer caseworkers and interpreters who aim to fill the gap in information sharing and advocacy in Athens. They offer information and support to people navigating the asylum process, by helping them access other services, accompanying them to asylum and hospital appointments, and arranging appointments with qualified lawyers. In October 2019 Khora’s Asylum Support Team saw 80 people.
Cafe - A community cafe that provides people with a space to eat, build support networks, drink hot, sweet tea and relax. During the pandemic the need for food rose sharply, so Khora created a food delivery service (with the Athens Food Collective) and increased their daily meals from 500 to 2500.
what we've funded
- Rent and bills until the end of 2020
THEIR WORK
FoodKIND are operational in Oinofyta, Malakasa and Nea Malakasa. The team cook hundreds of meals per day and serve them to residents of Malakasa; alongside this the team provide supplementary food packs that are high in nutritional value to pregnant women and mothers with new babies in Malakasa and Oinfyta. The team are one of only a few organisations working in these campa and their work is vital. what we've funded
Mum and baby food packs |
THEIR WORK
The Women's Centre provides holistic support for migrant women and families living without shelter in informal outdoor settlements, or in surrounding accommodation centres across northern France. They are committed to creating safer spaces for women and children, providing them with the means to live with dignity, and advocating for access to shelter and for other human rights to be met. Amongst many services, they have case workers who support people in accessing legal support, who safeguard and act on cases of gender based violence, and make referrals to other specialist services such as tracing a missing family member. Collectively they work with the community to create safe spaces, adapted to learn and share skills or just a conversation over some hot tea. what we've funded
Ongoing costs to support in Dunkirk |
THEIR WORK
Women for Refugee Women aims to empower and enable more refugee women to improve their wellbeing, build their confidence and become more effective advocates for justice in the asylum process. They aim to influence, by telling stories of refugee women to target audiences, in order to build empathy and understanding among the public. They aim to change the status quo, working for greater justice in the asylum process, particularly challenging the use of detention for women seeking asylum. To make change, women’s voices need to be heard. Through a programme of empowerment activities, they support a network of around 250 refugee and asylum-seeking women in the UK to develop their confidence and skills. A woman who joins their network will find a welcoming and supportive space in which she can meet other women and begin to rebuild her life, whether that be through speaking her first words of English or leading campaigns for a more just asylum process. what we've funded
A new Covid-response project to get tech, internet & training to their service-users. |
THEIR WORK
Collective Aid is an independent, volunteer-run organisation aiming to cater for the ever changing needs of refugees and migrants across Europe, in particular, in France and Serbia. Collective Aid is run by a flexible core team of long-term volunteers, supported by a dynamic and ever-changing group of short-term volunteers from all around the globe. All of us are committed to bring dignity and care to refugees and other displaced people. Our lasting mission is to observe and act, to always be ready to fill the gaps left by other aid actors, to collaborate with anyone who shares our aim of making life better for people living as refugees across Europe; but most importantly: to always work in solidarity and respect. We endeavor to do this by: Distributing clothing and essential hygiene items to those in need. Providing clothes washing services, and showers for those seeking safety in the region. Facilitating activities and classes to improve the mental health and general wellbeing of refugees and migrants. what we've funded
Operational costs including warehouse, vehicles and NFI costs. |
THEIR WORK
IHA (InterEuropean Human Aid Association Germany e.V.) operate a warehouse in Northern Greece. The team work closely with partners across Thessaloniki and all of northern greece in camp and urban areas to provide vital NFI (non food items) wherever it is needed. Throughout the pandemic the team have been supporting with procurement and distribution of PPE and act as a coordinating body in the area. what we've funded
Running costs to support their emergency response work in Northern Greece. |
THEIR WORK
Watershed provide clean water, sanitation facilities and safe shelter in places where it is most needed and based on international standards. They have focused their support in Serbia, and also in Moria refugee camp in Lesvos, Greece. what we've funded
We support a local Greek company through Watershed to provide the materials for and run the generator that provides hot water to Moria showers. Without this people would have very little access to adequate sanitation and hygiene. |
THEIR WORK
Movement On The Ground's mission is to provide a dignified, sustainable and innovative response to the refugee crisis, that involves and benefits both refugees and their host community. They have a long-term presence on both Lesvos and Samos. what we've funded
We cover the costs of a local company (Eco Cleaners) to clean inside Moria and the Olive Grove, this is coordinated through Movement on the Ground and is so vital for improving the sanitation and hygiene levels in the camp. We have recently increased this to twice per week. Ongoing costs to support in Dunkirk |
THEIR WORK
The Lava Project are a laundry project outside of Moria. They support medical organisations and UASC with laundry and have been vital in the widespread anti-scabies programs. what we've funded
Running cost for the laundry service. |
THEIR WORK
Better Days are one of the key partners on Lesvos. The team runs programs supporting UASC with education, legal support, medical access and NFI. They also have been instrumental in the COVID-19 response, more specifically in procuring medical items, equipment and PPE and establishing and running a central pharmacy for medical organisations. what we've funded
Running the central pharmacy in the Triage system |
THEIR WORK
Baobab advocates give confidential advice and assistance to women on immigration, health, financial and housing issues. As well as information on other projects and services, colleges and support groups. We focus on undocumented and asylum seeking women, and help newly granted refugees and settled women access established community services. We prioritise women who have been affected by gender violence and trafficking. Our trauma informed ethos is to engage women to learn about and navigate the system in a positive way, stand in their own power and draw on supportive people and networks. what we've funded
Destitution grants for women, following an increased demand through the pandemic. |
THEIR WORK
Coventry Asylum and Refugee Action Group (CARAG) is a community group made up of Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Migrants who go though the UK Immigration system. The majority of CARAG members are Asylum Seekers and Migrants who are either in the process of challenging Home office decisions or preparing fresh claims. This means majority of members are destitute as UK Asylum System does not give any support during this period. CARAG aims to ensure that our voices are heard, our rights respected and treated with dignity. We come together to understand and challenge the hostile policies created by politicians. We use our voices and actions to change people's opinions about Asylum Seekers and Refugees. The group meets once a week to talk and learn about topics such as Asylum System, Know your Rights, Detention and offer peer-to-peer support. We are also involved in campaigning such as attending demonstrations, such as end detention at YarlsWood, UN Anti-Racism March, hold solidarity vigils etc. what we've funded
Destitution grants for individuals. |
THEIR WORK
Project Elea support Eleonas Camp in Athens with a holistic program of support. The team runs education programmes, NFI distribution and a new food programme. The food programme is in response to a large influx of people who travelled from Lesvos to Athens and had no access to support. The people were moved into Eleonas with no plans of the government to offer even basic items and food. Proejct Elea have been providing vital NFI items and food to this population. what we've funded
Funding to support over 400 new residents with food and hygiene. |
THEIR WORK
Many Stops are a food support project for the homeless population of Athens. The Steps team are a mobile unit that provide food support and hygiene items to a vulnerable population. what we've funded
Increased food costs throughout the pandemic. |
THEIR WORK
Athens Food Collective is a partnership between Pampiraiki, Steps, Khora and SGYF. They provide hot food, food packs and support to those people in need in and around Athens. The groups came together as a response to the huge rise in food insecurity and homelessness in Athens, people are struggling to cover basic needs and therefore a strong collaboration and network was needed to ensure people were not falling through the gaps and had access to their basic necessities. what we've funded
Food costs to support their distribution service. |
2016-19: LONDON TO ATHENS X4
Our spindly legs have cycled us between London to Athens, once a year, for 4 whole years.
Each year, tight-knit group of humans have cycled a serious distance, with very few showers and a lot of generous strangers. Together, we fundraised a load of money for Khora and other amazing refugee organisations.
THEIR WORK
See description in the 'Khora' section above.
what we've funded
- Rent and bills from 2016-2018 for their previous community centre in Exarcheia, Athens. The centre had 8 floors, with multiple services: an education centre, kitchen, cafe, info desk for signposting to other services, legal support, a DIY workshop, a 'freeshop' - a free clothes shop, a music room, roof garden, women's space, and IT suite. The space would often have around 600 people a day using the different services, it created a safe space for people and was a vibrant community of people across the world.
- Rent and bills for current cafe and legal space for the next 3 years
- Van running costs
- Part time legal administrator for a year
- Refurbishment of new cafe space
WHY WE SUPPORT THEM
The basic needs of refugees in Athens are not being met, but the migration process also strips people of their human needs for community, togetherness, kindness and dignity.
Khora create spaces that give people not only the things they need on a practical level, but also on a human one. Khora believes in freedom of movement for all and recognises that the current situation has been created and perpetuated by governments and corporations who profit from other people's misfortune.
Khora stands in opposition to these forces and in solidarity with all those harmed by them.
WEBSITE // FACEBOOK
Khora create spaces that give people not only the things they need on a practical level, but also on a human one. Khora believes in freedom of movement for all and recognises that the current situation has been created and perpetuated by governments and corporations who profit from other people's misfortune.
Khora stands in opposition to these forces and in solidarity with all those harmed by them.
WEBSITE // FACEBOOK
THEIR WORK
The One Happy Family Community Center is a place which is built and run together with people from refugee camps on the Greek island of Lesvos. People on Lesvos are often totally reliant on government and NGO help. One Happy Family not only provide services to increase the refugees’ quality of life, but also give them back some independence, autonomy and a sense of responsibility.
To get a sense of scale and services in November 2019 at OHF:
Around 1000 meals a day are served over lunch and dinner, 180 children and 200 adults are in education everyday, learning Greek and English. There are around 70 volunteers from the refugee community involved in the daily runnings of the centre.
1445 patients were seen in the medical centre. 1200 people attended a range of sports classes such as basketball, volleyball, kung fu and parkour...and there are many more services such as a barber shop, cafe, cinema, garden, gym, library, maker space, playground, shisha cafe, kids space, womens space, shop and yoga tent used by many more people.
To get a sense of scale and services in November 2019 at OHF:
Around 1000 meals a day are served over lunch and dinner, 180 children and 200 adults are in education everyday, learning Greek and English. There are around 70 volunteers from the refugee community involved in the daily runnings of the centre.
1445 patients were seen in the medical centre. 1200 people attended a range of sports classes such as basketball, volleyball, kung fu and parkour...and there are many more services such as a barber shop, cafe, cinema, garden, gym, library, maker space, playground, shisha cafe, kids space, womens space, shop and yoga tent used by many more people.
what we've funded
- Rent for their buildings
- Parking space
- Electricity & Water
- WiFi bills for a year.
WHY WE SUPPORT THEM
Due to its close proximity to Turkey, Lesvos is an important waypoint for people fleeing from wars and crises in the Middle-East and Africa. These people stay on the island for many months, thanks to the EU-Turkey deal that hinders the continuation of their journey to the Greek mainland. One Happy Family fills the gaps which have been created by insufficient humanitarian aid and a lack of governmental intervention.
WEBSITE // FACEBOOK // TWITTER
WEBSITE // FACEBOOK // TWITTER
THEIR WORK
Echo is a mobile library and education hub for teenage and adult asylum-seekers waiting indefinitely in Greece. Equipped with WiFi, power, tablets and books, it is a space to work towards the future that - though lives are at a standstill - need not wait. what we've funded
A new van so that Echo can build a second mobile library and reach more people in the camps of Greece WHY WE SUPPORT THEM
People’s lives have been violently uprooted: they are at a standstill, but they need not be. They are hungry for action, for work, for education. Most are former students, skilled workers and professionals for whom, in the midst of uncertainty and waiting, the task of ‘filling time’ must become that of ‘using time’. The Echo Refugee Library project exists to provide them with opportunities to equip themselves with skills and knowledge for the future that lies beyond this long wait. WEBSITE // INSTAGRAM // FACEBOOK // TWITTER |
THEIR WORK
Human Rights 360 provide full legal aid and lawyer services for unaccompanied and separated minors. Human Rights 360 represent children during their asylum process and ensure they get access to protective services. Human Rights 360 also work with other vulnerable cases, such as LGBTQ individuals and victims of sexual and gender based violence, and has so far provided assistance to 109 cases. what we've funded
6 months’ salary for a full time lawyer to support unaccompanied and separated minors in Evros on the northeast border between Greece and Turkey. WHY WE SUPPORT THEM
There are currently 215 unaccompanied and separated minors at the Reception and Identification area of Fylakio in Evros, with only 4 official guardians for all of them. The children - the youngest of which is 3 years old - are being held in prison-like conditions for up to 9 months. Unaccompanied minors, like most refugees, are released from border controls with no guidance or support. The state provides only skeletal legal support, making a full time dedicated lawyer vital to increasing the chances of these children finding safety. The Human Rights 360 lawyer works tirelessly, not only to ensure children and vulnerable people get the legal support they deserve, but also to offer some hope and compassion where there is none. WEBSITE // FACEBOOK // VICE |
THEIR WORK
The Bike Project takes second-hand bikes, fixes them up and donates them to refugees and asylum-seekers in London and Birmingham. In the last 6 years they have given away 4263 bikes, hosted 448 volunteers, taught 253 women to cycle and trained 48 bike buddies.
Pedal Power teaches women how to cycle and gives them bikes, enabling them to save money on travel costs, have better access to services, improve physical and mental health and increase a sense of empowerment, confidence and independence. So far The Bike Project has taught 253 women how to cycle.
Pedal Power teaches women how to cycle and gives them bikes, enabling them to save money on travel costs, have better access to services, improve physical and mental health and increase a sense of empowerment, confidence and independence. So far The Bike Project has taught 253 women how to cycle.
WHAT WE'RE FUNDING
A year of weekly Pedal Power sessions. We are funding 40 refurbished bikes plus safety equipment, cycle instructors and participants’ travel expenses.
WHY WE SUPPORT THEM
Refugees are given £38 a week so, with a Birmingham bus pass costing £16 a week, travel becomes a major factor in what services they can access.
Having fled persecution and atrocity in their country of origin, most refugees arrive in the UK with absolutely nothing. A bike helps them access food banks, legal advice, healthcare, education and much more. If they are lucky enough to receive official refugee status, a bike can help a refugee find employment.
Many refugees come from societies where women are not encouraged to ride a bike but Pedal Power offers a female-only environment for women to learn to ride and get more confident on the road. For many participants, learning to cycle is more than a practical necessity: it represents an act of rebellion against deeply ingrained beliefs and cultural taboos.
'I am proud to be one of the African women refugees who can now cycle freely in London,' one of the Pedal Power graduates says. 'This is a dream come true.'
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