fighting for asylum seekers

My name is Alexander Reihill and I am a sixth-form student at Charterhouse.

Last summer I worked at the Helen Bamber Foundation, a human rights charity supporting survivors of trafficking and torture to recover and rebuild their lives.  Learning about all of the injustices that asylum seekers face in the UK had such a profound effect on me that I decided to donate the money that I earned from my internship at KPMG and to set up this page to encourage others to donate too and help positively impact the lives of many.

The Helen Bamber Foundation provides specialist therapy, legal advice, housing and welfare support, education and employment opportunities in order to enable survivors to thrive independently with freedom and confidence. Most of the survivors they work with are asylum seekers; many have been trafficked to the UK, fleeing from violence and persecution in their home country.

While waiting for a decision on their asylum case, survivors are not allowed to work, which prevents them from becoming self-reliant and rebuilding their lives. Instead, individuals must rely on government-funded Asylum Support accommodation and welfare payments which amount to just £40.85 per week. Survivors must use this amount to cover all their needs, including food and travel to crucial legal and medical appointments (often deciding whether a survivor is granted refugee status). This amount is nowhere near enough to buy clothing, food, or bare essentials, leaving survivors vulnerable to poverty. Survivors are put in incredible danger if they are made homeless or experience poverty, as trafficking networks deliberately target those who do not have a safe place to sleep or enough money to eat with false promises of safety and security.

The money raised from this fundraiser will go to those who need it most through the Helen Bamber Housing and Welfare service. Your donation will help provide the following:

• Access to warm clothing, food, and essentials for survivors and their families.

• Phone top-ups so that survivors can reach out to essential services such as the Helen Bamber Foundation, GPs, and lawyers.

• Emergency relief grants so that survivors are prevented from becoming homeless and can travel to vital medical and legal appointments.

I understand that some of you will be unable to donate, in that case, all I ask is that you help share this story to promote the great work the Helen Bamber Foundation has been doing and to introduce this story to anyone that can donate and help change the lives of those currently living in injustice in throughout the UK.