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On 27th November, Refugee Action-Colchester organized a Women’s Health Day in partnership with Community 360 and Beacon House, to raise awareness of cervical cancer and how to access screenings. There was also a focus on the barriers our clients face in accessing screenings, such as language and translation needs. It was also an opportunity for […]
Category Archives: Newsletter
20
Dec
Dec
The recently arrived asylum seekers staying at a Colchester hotel have survived war, conflict, loss of family, place and status. Dangerous and difficult journeys compound the experience. Then, once here, the way they are treated while awaiting their asylum claim decision can bring additional trauma and frustration. First in initial accommodation – where you eat […]
As usual, a lot has been happening thanks to the involvement of enthusiastic and committed volunteers. And we are currently in the process of guiding a large cohort of new volunteers through our induction procedure. We are on the verge of holding our 4th Information morning to give a very general picture of RA-C and […]
03
Nov
Nov
The number of asylum seekers in Colchester has risen dramatically since housing providers started taking over cheap HMO property, some of which had previously been used as student accommodation. There are now 20 such houses in Colchester. Two house families, one a single vulnerable woman, and the rest between 3 and 6 residents each. There […]
03
Nov
Nov
The Afghan Crisis has caused a huge amount of extra work for the caseworkers. On the first Friday after the fall of Kabul we had 150 calls to the office. Things are calmer now, but we get several requests a day for help. There is no paid support for the Afghan families when they arrive […]
Despite the unfolding tragedies of Kabul and Afghanistan, and our response to that, we all have to continue our endeavours in the Colchester and RA-C community. A number of our refugee friends have been able to help with welcoming the Afghans and interpreting for them, which reflects the fact that we are truly a community. […]
09
Sep
Sep
We have all watched the terrible events unfold in Afghanistan over the last few weeks and witnessed untold suffering of people in the country. Some of our clients here in Colchester, have family back in Afghanistan and what is happening in their country has obviously brought deep fear and anxiety to them. We set up […]
13
Aug
Aug
We began offering our Foodbank to our clients back in January this year. Now more than ever, we have seen a huge increase in our Foodbank being used. Just last week we saw over 30 uses of the foodbank – 15 families – mainly people with no recourse to public funds and unable to work […]
13
Aug
Aug
Mohammad has been a RA-C client since late April, when he was moved from London to Colchester. He is from Iran and is seeking asylum. He has become very involved in his community here and volunteers three times a week at his local church. From time to time he also attends RA-C’s gardening and table […]
13
Aug
Aug
Last week the police brought Taha (not his real name) came in to see us. He has been homeless on our streets for years and had no shoes and had little English; his feet were blistered, bleeding and swollen. The Rough Sleeper Outreach team had sensibly suggested we get involved. This is because Taha has […]