Coventry Refugee & Migrant Centre news

The New Communities of Coventry welcome the Archbishop of Canterbury

2012-04-16T11:46:00Q

'Asylum seekers facing a Kafkaesque legal nightmare' says Guardian

2011-08-08T17:17:00Q

Refugees: On the Run photographs

2011-06-13T12:37:00Q

There are more than 43 million people on the run in the world today. Some are refugees seeking a home in a new country, while others are the internally displaced, photographer Espen Rasmussen has spent six years documenting the lives of some of those people, from the camps in the DR Congo to the displaced in Georgia.

You can see some of the pictures in an artlicle on the BBC website here

Hope Fund Appeal for local destitute is launched at Lyng Hall School

2011-05-24T11:50:00Q

On Monday 16th May, the Bishop of Coventry presided over the launch of an appeal for The Hope Fund, Coventry to help desitutue asylum seekers.

The Bishop highlighted the growing humanitarian crisis of our local destitute asylum seekers and asked for local people to make regular donations to the fund. The launch was met with enthusiasm from students of Lyng Hall School who will support the initiative by using their creative skills to fundraise for the Fund.

You can help by making donations in the 'Destitution' section of our website.

We welcome involvement from any individuals and organisastions who can help us to raise funds, you can read the launch pack of information and materials here

CRMC's Big Brew 2

2011-03-14T11:20:00Q

We hosted our Big Brew 2 to celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight. Visitors came to try Fairtrade coffee, tea, homemade flapjacks, cookies, honey and chocolate! They took part in the Honey Quiz for which the prize was kindly donated by Lush. Other items were kindly donated by Co-op, Sainsburys, Tesco, Fairshare and Esquires. Many visitors decorated triangles of Fairtrade cotton which will be added to a world record attempt for the longest bunting in the world!

The following piece from the Coventry Telegraph was one of several items of press coverage.

CRC highlighted in BBC report

2011-02-04T03:03:00Q

CRC is highlighted in BBC coverage of the recent Oxfam report into the crisis of destitution amongst failed asylum seekers in the UK. Oxfam reports that thousands of failed asylum seekers are neglected by the system and living in the UK with no income or safe place to sleep.

The BBC coverage focuses on Coventry where charities, led by CRC, are working together to provide crucial help. It quotes Bhopinder Basi, Chief Executive of CRC criticising the system as "incompetent" and that our cruel asylum system "shames us all". The article describes the practical help given by CRC and the Coventry Hope Partnership to destitute clients experiencing extreme hardship. To read the full article click here

CRC helps to repatriate Genet Kidane body

2011-02-03T13:59:00Q

Grieving family and friends of the woman who died after falling from a bridge in Coventry need to raise £3,000 to send her body back to her African homeland.

Genet Kidane, originally from Eritrea, was found dead on the Coventry ring road after plunging from the Canal basin bridge on January 12th. She came to the city six years ago after fleeing political unrest, was a client of CRC when seeking asylum and also a student at the centre. Friends have already raised £1,400 so she can be buried in her home city of Asmara, but another £3,000 is still needed.

CRC is acting to collect monies donated towards the cost of returning Genet to Eritrea.

Anyone wishing to help can send a cheque or cash to Coventry Refugee Centre, 15 Bishop Street, Coventry, CV1 1HU and write 'Genet Kidane' on the back of the cheque or include a note with cash stating 'Genet Kidane'.

You can also donate securely online via our website here: - please state 'Genet Kidane' in the text box giving your instructions to the charity.

You can read more about this tragic event and the appeal on the Coventry Telegraph website here:

NEWS UPDATE:

Thanks to the support and generosity of many people in Coventry, the appeal raised funds to enable the return of this tragic woman's body back to her homeland. We are pleased to report that she has been transported back home and buried according to her and her family's wishes. The Appeal is now closed.

Womens Group events Feb - May

2011-02-02T21:42:00Q

Parveen Tewari (who coordinates CRC Womens Group activities) has published a calendar of upcoming Womens Group events and activities for the months ahead. For full details - see the Womens Group section under Events on this website!

Clients benefit from new food schemes

2011-01-26T16:02:00Q

Every day perishable foods including fruit, vegetables, bread, cakes, milk, yoghurt, packed meats and more are distributed to our clients, courtesy of Coventry’s Costco. The cash and carry firm opened it’s Coventry store last August and now makes near-out-of-date foods available to Coventry’s deserving poor. For clients who are either destitute, waiting for benefits to start or existing on low income it’s a welcome opportunity to put a decent meal on their table.

We have also become part of the Coventry Foodbank initiative, a national venture pioneered by the Trussell Trust who run a network of community-led foodbanks. Foodbanks distribute food bought in supermarkets by the public and donated into a charity bin. Food items are collected, stored and redeemed against vouchers for a food box containing a minimum of three days nutritionally balanced, non-perishable food of their choice. Vouchers are available to the hungry, homeless, destitute and other deserving poor. CRC is one of a growing number of frontline care agencies in Coventry taking advantage of this excellent new scheme for clients.

CEO's 2010 Review and 2011 Outlook

2010-12-20T11:05:00Q

For us, 2010 has been a year of doing more with less and preparing for more difficult times ahead. We have already experienced reduced funding streams and the end of project funding, this has accelerated our efforts to reorganise and refocus operations. As funding cuts impacted us during the year we also started to develop social enterprises in housing to generate an additional income stream. In June we celebrated our 10th anniversary in style when new communities joined us in the Cathedral for a memorable and uplifting evening of live performances, exhibitions, displays, foods and refreshments. In response to the plight of thousands of people who come to this country for sanctuary and find themselves destitute on the street, the British Red Cross published a report "Not Gone, But Forgotten" to highlight this humanitarian crisis in Britain today. Like the CRC, they are at the forefront of providing destitute asylum seekers with the basics so that they can survive. A year ago we created The Hope Fund - Coventry to raise funds and distribute food, clothes and basics locally to those who have nothing.

Looking ahead to 2011, we expect local destitution to become worse and funding cuts from public sector sources to continue. We are launching a fundraising drive to generate regular income for The Hope Fund – Coventry which I urge you to help us with. Our charity is hoping to return to a site in Hillfields and work there with new communities to develop new social enterprises. I expect that the general public and policy environment towards our client groups will remain hostile, so we aim to collaborate locally to provide services in partnership with our client communities in the spirit of peace and reconciliation through human rights.

Thank you all for your help and support this year, I hope that we can count on your support in the year to come.

Bhopinder Basi, Chief Executive, Coventry Refugee Centre