Liza Ramrayka
The Guardian
Organisations supporting people fleeing conflict or persecution have been hit hard as government and grant funding dries up
Ayan Hassan can't stop smiling. The Somali-born mother of three is talking about appearing in a short film to promote the London catering co-operative she helped to set up a year ago. Hassan, 30, is proud of her achievements since arriving alone in the UK as a refugee 11 years ago. Having left her mother and siblings in Kenya after the family fled civil war in Somalia, she is now an active member of her north-west London community.
The catering project – Spice Caravan – has grown from a group of six refugee mums cooking at school events, to a business with a £30,000 annual turnover, supplying festivals, private parties and the local farmers' market.
None of this would have been possible, says Hassan, without the support of Salusbury World, a small charity based at her children's school, Salusbury primary, in Brent. The country's only refugee centre within a school, the charity helps children and families adjust to school and community life in the UK. As well as providing start-up funding of £500 and kitchen space, Salusbury World helped Spice Caravan to access external training in skills such as business planning, finance and food hygiene.Salusbury World was set up in 1999 in response to the high numbers of newly-arrived families from Kosovo and Albania who were being housed and schooled in Brent. Funded by a lottery grant, the aim was to provide vital extra support for these families, many of whom had experienced trauma, long journeys to the UK, and were living in temporary accommodation.
Today, most of Salusbury World's clients come from Afghanistan and Somalia and are much less itinerant. The charity supports more than 100 children from 70 families – some 15% of the total school roll. A part-time project worker provides similar support to secondary school age pupils at the nearby Capital City academy. Activities for pupils include after-school homework clubs and subsidised summer holiday activities. English classes, benefits and careers advice, and cycle training are among the support on offer for parents.
But, despite recognition from the Refugee Council and Save the Children, financial woes could now force Salusbury World to axe services, starting with employment advice and advocacy for parents.
Since the UK Border Agency slashed funding of asylum support services by over 60% in April last year and the Refugee Integration and Employment Service closed in October, many refugee community-based organisations (RCOs) have been left financially vulnerable.
Research into the impact of these cuts to refugee services to be published later this month shows that around 70% of organisations have reduced their workforce and half of advice service providers expect to reduce or end services by April, while 60% said demand for services had increased.
In its survey of national charities, RCOs and councils, Employability Forum, an independent charity promoting refugee integration and employment in the UK, found that the services for refugees most affected by cuts are advice on benefits, housing and employment.
Salusbury World is heavily dependent on grants and donations for its £250,000 annual costs, but one long-term funder – Comic Relief – has not renewed its grant this year (currently worth some £65,000), while £5,450 of training income has disappeared due to spending cuts in council services for children. The charity has been forced to put its staff – one full-time and four part-time – on rolling redundancy notice, to be evaluated every two months.
An emergency fundraising campaign in July helped to plug the £50,000 funding shortfall the charity faced this financial year. But Sarah Reynolds, the charity's manager, says it may have to scale back support for parents if it is to continue essential services for children.
Teachers at Salusbury primary say the charity's work is invaluable. "They allow us to concentrate on teaching while giving more holistic support to the families, allowing the children to really benefit from their education and feel part of the school community," says Alexa Rice, English as an additional language co-ordinator at the school.
Yasmin Ali, 13, helps out at Salusbury World's homework and holiday clubs, having attended them as a primary school pupil. She recounts how her Somali-born parents got help from the charity: "It's so hard to understand schooling or housing if you don't know the language. The charity helped to build the bridges," she says.
• Liza Ramrayka is a parent of a child at Salusbury primary school.
Source: The Guardian
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