Welsh Refugee Council is the largest charitable provider of services to asylum seekers and refugees in Wales.
Every week we help hundreds of people who are strangers to Wales with no-one else to turn to. We also have to tell many that we are unable to help because of lack of resources.
Although we receive some statutory funding, we urgently need donations from the public to continue our vital work. A single donation will give someone a helping hand today. A regular donation will make a difference long-term.
…To help run our advice and support services
Advice services are vital to the work of the WRC. They help people to understand the asylum system, find a lawyer and deal with any health and housing problems. Children who have arrived without their parents have a specialist advice worker. Individuals who are granted refugee status are given advice on looking for jobs and houses. For more information about our advice services please see our Advice page.
Your donation could help pay for an interpreter for an asylum seeker new to the area or an admin volunteer’s travel expenses to the office for example. With funding being cut in this area, we need donations more than ever.
…To support destitute individuals through our Hardship Fund
Most of the asylum seekers and refugees that seek help from the Welsh Refugee Council have very little to live on, and some are destitute. Destitution may be caused if an individual has had their claim for asylum refused meaning they may no longer qualify for financial support from the government, or because of administrative delays causing a delay in support, or for other reasons.
Welsh Refugee Council runs a small Hardship Fund to help destitute individuals. It is able to meet urgent expenses, for example to pay travel costs to hospital for those who are too ill to walk or to provide food parcels for those who have no other source of food.
The Hardship Fund is made up entirely from public donations. The fund is unable to meet the needs of many, but it can alleviate suffering for a few people, for a short time.
The Hardship Fund received donations totalling £13,000 in 2009. We need closer to £25,000 a year to meet the demands placed upon it.
We also appreciate gifts in kind for the Hardship Fund. Please see Ways to Donate for more information.
…To fund our Women’s Group
The Women’s Group runs fortnightly at the Cardiff Welsh Refugee Council office. It is for refugee and asylum seeking women, and for their children. The ethos of the group has been to build the service around the needs of the women and children who attend each week.
Over the past year sessions have covered health, dance, cookery, craft and getting out and about in Cardiff. Activities are arranged following informal discussions with members and where possible cultural themes are drawn upon to reflect diversity.
The Women’s Group gives members the opportunity to share experiences, make firm friendships and for the Welsh Refugee Council to build trust with very vulnerable and often isolated members of our community.
Money for the Women’s group is used for: reimbursing women’s travel expenses – many women live a bus ride or two away and have small children, providing activities such as craft materials or food for cooking, and offering refreshments.
What you can do
See our Ways to Donate page for how you can make a donation and for different ways to donate. If you enjoy organising events or fancy a challenge, read our Get Involved page for inspiration.
If you have a preference as to which of these three areas your donation goes towards, please specify this in an email, via telephone or with an accompanying letter when you make your donation. Click on our Contact Us page for contact details.
Thank you very much.
