This week we said goodbye to the wonderful Catherine Henderson.
Over the years Catherine has been a Trustee, an Area Convenor and a valued member of the Management Committee. We caught up with Catherine who tells us: "I was involved at the very beginning, when we (Herts Welcomes Syrian Families) were campaigning to get Hertfordshire to sign up to the Syrian resettlement scheme in 2015. Little groups of us from across the county got together and campaigned in our various districts. It felt as though we were pushing on a heavy door and I was amazed when it suddenly swung open. It was exciting and unnerving all at once, but from the beginning we worked with the Refugee Council. We had an area convenor in each district and met regularly around Irene's table. (Irene Austin is of course our Chair). It's been such a privilege to be part of HWR as it's evolved from just 7 or 8 of us getting together in 2015 to campaign for Syrian resettlement to the charity today supporting over 1,400 refugees and people seeking asylum across the county." All best wishes for the future Catherine, we will miss you! We know you will continue to campaign for a compassionate asylum system. We are delighted to share a short video of our year welcoming and supporting refugees in Hertfordshire. With thanks to all our volunteers, partners and supporters. We look forward to working with you all in 2024. Our volunteer's letter to The Guardian supporting the Fair Begins Here campaign by Together with Refugees was published today. Helen's parents came here as child refugees.
Read the full letter here Here at Herts Welcomes Refugees we lend support to Fair Begins Here, calling for a fair plan for refugees: https://togetherwithrefugees.org.uk/fair-begins-here-a-new-campaign-calling-for-a-fair-new-plan-for-refugees-that-works-for-everyone/
We were delighted that our Area Convenor Joyce was on BBC Three Counties Radio last night, talking about our work and the lovely art work produced by asylum seekers, some of whom are professional artists. They have generously donated their work for you to buy as e-cards from https://www.dontsendmeacard.com/ecards/charities/herts-welcomes-refugees You can listen to the recording on BBC Sounds or at the link above. We were so pleased that HWR volunteer Linda Lennard had this letter published in the Guardian today, in response to their choice of three refugee charities for their Christmas appeal:
You can read her letter here: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/11/ignore-our-shameful-politicians-a-civilised-society-protects-refugees Read about the day Mo and his team served his famous Ash Reshteh – Persian noodle soup for over 60 guests at a special celebration lunch at Sunnyside Rural Trust, and hear his heart-warming speech! We are delighted to tell you about the Inclusive Employment Project Celebration organised by Step2Skills and hosted by Sunnyside Rural Trust. Sunnyside invited our Iranian asylum-seeker chefs Mohammed, Sara, Arman and Asiyeh to make a dish for 60 people. They chose Ash Reshteh, or Persian noodle soup. Our cookery project organiser Helen has been organising everything behind the scenes, going to specialist shops for ingredients and liaising with Sunnyside and the chefs to decide what they were going to cook, agree the budget, and talk about food labelling requirements & intolerances. Prior to the event there was a trial run where the food was cooked for sale in the cafe. Then there was the whole day event: shopping the day before, then starting at 8am in the morning. You can see an account of the day in this slideshow of whatsapp messages below!
Today we hear from an asylum seeker from Honduras who fled to England in fear of his life. For his own safety we are not able to give his full name. He tells his harrowing story below: “My trip to this nation has been to save my life and that of my family, which is my 3-year-old son, my wife, and I. We had to leave Honduras since our lives were in danger. One day, some people came to my house to leave me a mobile phone and told me in a threatening tone: “They're going to call you, you answer.” A few minutes later they called, they told me that I had to pay them and that if I didn't pay them, they were going to kill my family and me, that they already knew where I lived, the school where my son was and where my wife worked. A few days later, when I went down to the car park to go to church, I found my car damaged so I knew that the threat was real. Unfortunately the police were not able to guarantee my safety. Because of this, I had to leave my country, where my life and that of my family are in danger.” Attached is an example of this man’s amazing art work. You can see what a desperate situation this young family find themselves in. They are so grateful to our volunteers who make them feel welcome but they are very fearful for what the future holds. Our Warm Welcome fundraising appeal launches this week.
Can you help families like those of Arash? Read more at https://www.hwsf.org.uk/fundraising-appeal-2023.html Donate here https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/24622#!/DonationDetails We are so grateful for your support in helping us continue our work with those seeking sanctuary here. We are so sorry to hear about the deadly earthquake in the Herat area of Afghanistan. Our hearts go out to all those affected.
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