Survivor of trafficking education appeal
Donation protected
THIS APPEAL IS TO RAISE FUNDS FOR A SURVIVOR OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING TO GAIN THE QUALIFICATIONS TO APPLY TO UNIVERSITY. BECAUSE SHE IS AN ASYLUM SEEKER, SHE IS NOT ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR LOANS. WE HOPE TO RAISE £3,500 IN THIS APPEAL TO COVER COURSE FEES, TRAVEL AND TRANSPORT, BOOKS AND INTERNET ACCESS. PLEASE DONATE WHATEVER YOU CAN AFFORD.
B is an asylum seeker from Albania who is also a survivor of human trafficking. Speaking very little English, she escaped her captors almost three years ago and has been supported through the National Referral Mechanism, which is a government programme to help survivors of trafficking recover from their ordeal. Throughout this time she has been waiting for the Home Office to decide if she is allowed to remain in the UK and has lived with the restrictions put upon her as an asylum seeker. This means she is not allowed to work, or open a bank account.
It also means that, although she is allowed to study, she in ineligible to apply for a student loan or adult learning grant. Asylum seekers receive an allowance of £37.75 a week, which barely covers basic survival needs so there is no way she is able to cover the cost of a university access course by herself.
B is an A* student and she wants to train to become a nurse, which requires degree level qualifications. Sadly, in Albania women face enormous discrimination and although she did well at school B was not allowed to continue into further education. While she has been waiting for a home office decision she has accessed as many training courses as she could, starting with ESOL and short accredited courses in translation. Two years ago, she was one of the first graduates of Free Thinking, a course developed specifically for survivors of human trafficking. She progressed quickly - this year she gained a Level 2 Diploma in Social Sciences and also passed GCSE English, a second language she hardly spoke three years ago.
She is phenomenally hard working and dedicated to her work. Aside from studying, B also does a lot of voluntary work,including interpreting and translation work for City of Sanctuary and Survivor Alliance, a member’s only charity for survivors of modern slavery and human trafficking. She supports other survivors who have been through similar experiences. She has spoken at several conferences, raising awareness about the barriers that she, and other survivors face as both victims of crime and also victims of the hostile environment of the UK asylum system.
One such barrier is accessing university and B’s progression has now been halted because she cannot afford the course fees. Waiting in limbo for three years, being unable to work and restricted by home office rules has had a detrimental effect on her emotional wellbeing, already fragile because of her traumatic past experience at the hands of traffickers. Education has been instrumental in her recovery, giving her hope for the future and something to focus on, but now that has also been taken away.
Please help by donating whatever you can afford ☺
B is an asylum seeker from Albania who is also a survivor of human trafficking. Speaking very little English, she escaped her captors almost three years ago and has been supported through the National Referral Mechanism, which is a government programme to help survivors of trafficking recover from their ordeal. Throughout this time she has been waiting for the Home Office to decide if she is allowed to remain in the UK and has lived with the restrictions put upon her as an asylum seeker. This means she is not allowed to work, or open a bank account.
It also means that, although she is allowed to study, she in ineligible to apply for a student loan or adult learning grant. Asylum seekers receive an allowance of £37.75 a week, which barely covers basic survival needs so there is no way she is able to cover the cost of a university access course by herself.
B is an A* student and she wants to train to become a nurse, which requires degree level qualifications. Sadly, in Albania women face enormous discrimination and although she did well at school B was not allowed to continue into further education. While she has been waiting for a home office decision she has accessed as many training courses as she could, starting with ESOL and short accredited courses in translation. Two years ago, she was one of the first graduates of Free Thinking, a course developed specifically for survivors of human trafficking. She progressed quickly - this year she gained a Level 2 Diploma in Social Sciences and also passed GCSE English, a second language she hardly spoke three years ago.
She is phenomenally hard working and dedicated to her work. Aside from studying, B also does a lot of voluntary work,including interpreting and translation work for City of Sanctuary and Survivor Alliance, a member’s only charity for survivors of modern slavery and human trafficking. She supports other survivors who have been through similar experiences. She has spoken at several conferences, raising awareness about the barriers that she, and other survivors face as both victims of crime and also victims of the hostile environment of the UK asylum system.
One such barrier is accessing university and B’s progression has now been halted because she cannot afford the course fees. Waiting in limbo for three years, being unable to work and restricted by home office rules has had a detrimental effect on her emotional wellbeing, already fragile because of her traumatic past experience at the hands of traffickers. Education has been instrumental in her recovery, giving her hope for the future and something to focus on, but now that has also been taken away.
Please help by donating whatever you can afford ☺
Organiser
Jane Williamson
Organiser
England
