Welcome to the Refugee Support Express
This week:
Breaking in Bangladesh
Refugee Support has landed in Bangladesh, and the hard work has begun.
Last Sunday, Daniel Mendies from Refugee Support met with Sheikh Hasina Wazed, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, to discuss the Rohingya Crisis; sharing how we plan to offer #AidWithDignity to refugees fleeing from the terrifying conditions in Myanmar. The Prime Minister shared her great concern for the Rohingya people, confirming that she and her government will do everything they can to help. The Prime Minister also thanked Daniel and Refugee Support for their help.
The full Refugee Support team – Daniel, John Sloan, Sean MacKinnon and Shannon Ongaro – have spent the last week in Dhaka meeting other key individuals and laying essential groundwork for us to operate. Today they are all heading down to Chittagong to begin the needs assessment and get started.
As the Rohingya crisis worsens, the number of people fleeing to Bangladesh is still rising at a startling rate. And the horrific stories of why they fled are chilling.
We will not be bystanders. Will you stand by us in supporting refugees?
A Mile in My Shoes
‘A Mile in My Shoes’ seeks to share the experiences of refugees in the hopes that by ‘walking a mile’ in a refugee’s shoes, we shall be able to better understand what they’ve experienced, and better educate the world about the conditions that we must work together to end.
This week, we bring you a first-hand testimony from a refugee. This stunning video animation, bought to us by Marta Torres Art and Victor Suarez Ballesteros, shares the harrowing tale of a Syrian refugee from Aleppo who lost his brother during a White Helmets rescue.
The video also includes star performances from refugees and volunteers from April this year, as Cathie Amin captures her experience managing the community kitchen for a fortnight at our Alexandreia camp.
All About Alexandreia
If you’re in Eureka, California, you can view the inspiring artwork of the children from our Alexandreia camp. Exhibited at the Morris Graves Museum of Art, this beautiful gallery of work is a poignant treat to behold.
Live from LM Village
Friday is always a busy day at LM Village, as the weekly Refugee Support bus takes our residents to the local market to shop for the week ahead. Thank you to both our volunteers and donors for making every weeks’ trip a possibility, and for enabling us to always #AidWithDignity.
Friday also marked the last day of Refugee Support Susan’s fifth tour of volunteering duty. A cherished volunteer, Susan may be little, but ‘though she be little, she be fierce’, and we love her.
Susan aided refugees with dignity for 75 days during her latest duty, and we are sure that we shall be seeing her again soon!
In the meantime, we would love to welcome YOU to our fantastic team of volunteers. See our volunteer stories below for more insight.
Stories from the Support Squad
Members of our volunteering teams are invited to write and publish stories about their time #AidingWithDignity at Refugee Support. We’ve received some fantastic writing that captures the joy, passion and sorrow that our volunteers experience as they carry out their incredible work.
‘It is important to understand that the crisis is still growing. Having seen the massive impact that my peers had in the camps, I realise now that no gesture, however small, is unhelpful.’
‘Whether it’s raising funds or awareness, or working to support refugees in our own countries, we can all contribute to deconstructing the systems of power and perception that made this situation possible in the first place.’
You can read more stories like Carl and Natalie’s here.
Jamnesty
If you’re in Warwick next Thursday the 23rd, join us for an evening of fun and fundraising with Warwick Amnesty.
Warwick Amnesty is calling all performers – spoken word poets, singers, beat boxers and musicians – to sign up for the opportunity to perform live to your friends and loved ones. Jamnesty welcomes all talent, and is the perfect platform for all performers to sing, dance, and raise funds for a fantastic cause. To perform, or to join us at what promised to be a great evening, see here. All donations from the evening go to refugees.
Eat & be Merry
At our Greek camps, many refugees cook their own tasty meals on camp, and ALWAYS offer to share their food and recipes with our volunteers. Now, our refuges are offering YOU a tantalising taste of Syrian cooking with this Syrian Recipe Book – the perfect thing to warm you up during the chilly season.
Lucy says ‘We’ve cooked a handful of things from our copy, and they were all extremely lovely!’
All proceeds from our cookbooks and calendars go to refugees, so share your Christmas cheer this year by making a delicious difference!
Thank you for reading, and we’ll see you next time.
Please contacts us today at info@refugeesupporteu.com if you are interested in volunteering, making a donation, or just want to get in touch.
Refugee Support
