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Who we are
Nottingham and Notts Refugee Forum (NNRF) is an independent, voluntary organisation set up to work with and for asylum seekers and refugees in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. For a copy of our Statment of Values and Aims, click here.
The Refugee Forum is a volunteer led organization, run by a volunteer management committee. The Centre has a number of paid staff, but relies heavily on the time, dedication and enthusiasm of volunteers from refugee, asylum seeking and host community backgrounds.
We offer advice, practical assitance and friendship to all refugees and asylum seekers regardless of race, religion or political opinion.
The Centre
The Centre is open on Monday, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 am till noon for anyone to come in and use the facilities (eg computers/internet) or meet friends. There are also regular social evenings and training courses. We have a playroom for children. Interpreters are available in most refugee community languages.
Asylum facts
People come to the UK seeking asylum because they face imprisonment, torture, or death in their homeland. This may be because of their religious beliefs, political beliefs, sexuality or because of their ethnic origin. Try to imagine how bad things would have to get before you felt you had leave everything - family, friends, home, possessions - to flee to another country where you don't speak the language, and had to throw yourself on the mercy of strangers.
Most asylum seekers end up in the nearest country to their own; the UK is home to only about 2% of the worlds asylum seekers. It's hard to get asylum in the UK. Bringing evidence with you of the reasons why you fled your country is next to impossible, so most applications are turned down and only 28% of appeals are successful.
Asylum seekers are not scroungers but dignified people who want to work to pay their way. Yet the UK government does not now allow asylum seekers to work. If they are refused asylum, even the very little help granted by the UK state while asylum claims are pending is withdrawn and they end up destitute and homeless. Unless they can find a sympathetic doctor, only emergency medical treatment is available to them. Yet despite their desperate situation - and the hysterical claims of the tabloid press - very few crimes are committed by asylum seekers. But if they themselves are the victims of crime or sexual harassment, they often refrain from contacting the police for fear of being sent to a detention centre or deported. Asylum seekers can be detained seemingly at the whim of the UK border agency, and then possibly deported, regardless of the dangers they face back home.
What you can do...
There are many ways of contributing to the work of Nottingham & Notts Refugee Forum. Here are three of the most important:
Donate
There are several ways to donate. You could come into the centre and hand over some wonga, or a cheque made payable to Nottingham and Notts Refugee Forum. Whatever, make sure you hand it over to either Imran or Teresa in the office.
You could also download a combined "standing order and gift aid" form by clicking here to make a regular donation.
NNRF is also on the Charity's Aid Foundation web site, so a donation to the NNRF Destitution Fund can be made on-line, through the CAF web site. Go to the CAF web site search page, and under "Find a charity", enter refugee in the "Keyword(s)" box and Nottingham in the "UK town, city,..." box (there are clearly other words you could enter to find NNRF, but this is one of the easiest combinations). Then hit the "Search" button underneath.
A new page appears with Nottingham & Nottinghamshire Refugee Forum under "Charity". Under "Make a donation", click on "Donate". On the next page that appears, choose the "Using a credit / debit card" button, unless you have a CAF account. Then click on the "Proceed" button underneath. On the next page that comes up, follow the 4 steps for donation - especially the gift aid declaration. Hit the "Next" button at the bottom of the page as you complete each step.
And that's it! Donating to NNRF on the CAF website is so easy, you'll want to do it lots of times.
Volunteer
Volunteers needed.
Join
Even if you decide you haven't time to be a volunteer, there is still plenty of ways you can help as a member. NNRF currently has about 450 members. By joining, your annual subscription contributes towards the work of NNRF and you get regular e-mails about events, info about people who you may be able to help in some way. Pehaps someone is about about to be deported or a family has been detained - then there is usually a call to sign a petition or write letters to MPs, home office, airlines etc. Click here to download a membership form.