community action to support asylum seekers and refugees

by Adnan Ibrahim

North East Glasgow Framework for Dialogue Group (FFD) is a community group which provides support and advice to asylum seekers and refugees.

This group was formed in 2002. It is a constituted group and managed by a group of management committee members elected at the Annual General Meeting. We support our members by a community worker from Glasgow City Council and through funding we get from different funding bodies.

Before the Coronavirus pandemic, we held meetings every month to share information and to raise any concerns. Also, we brought in speakers to talk about services or issues relating to asylum seekers and refugees. Furthermore, we organised activities for our members for example trips, visits and trainings.

We have many representations in different networks to voice out and share our needs. Our aims are to achieve with keeping our members up to date with changes to processes and legislations relating to people who are seeking asylum or who are refugees.

We also make sure that our members are aware of and know how to access services and engaging with services providers to influence and to improve services. New people who come to this country might not socialise with others due to language barriers, so we aim to reduce isolation and promote social integration.

My work with North East Glasgow Framework for Dialogue Group as a volunteer chairperson was to provide support to our members who are asylum seekers and refugees as much as I can during the Covid-19. I applied to many different funding bodies for funds to support our members. Using these funds we received, I managed to deliver four different projects. Firstly, with our activities being reduced we are delivering a telephone service two times a week between 11-3 pm. This activity will create an opportunity for our members to speak with a volunteer and address issues but also be supported to make contacts with other agencies. Secondly, have volunteers helping our elderly with groceries and shopping and medicine drops. By doing this our community members will not feel isolated and forgotten. We also support our community members with top up vouchers to overcome the digital poverty. By doing this we hope to overcome the impact on people’s mental health created by Covid-19. Provision of top up vouchers will enable our community members to stay in touch with one another and take part in online activities organised by our community group.

Moreover, we planned to deliver online activities to increase social interactions in order to support mental health issues. This activity is delivered once a week by our volunteers. With the schools being back to normal we feel that this service will focus on working with adults who have been affected by Covid-19. We think that this activity will be significant to our community member’s interaction and wellbeing. Lastly, we make regular weekly deliveries which include basic food, toiletries and sanitary products to our members.

I feel that everything we are doing it has helped our members cope well with the Coronavirus situation especially of those who are not allowed to work because of their immigration status. My motivation was from the Management Committee to help the community who are struggling financially. Especially those who are struggling financially such as asylum seekers and refugees.

Going forward I think that nationally the government should focus on people’s mental health and provide services to help with this. Many people are being affected by the Covid-19 pandemic emotionally and financially and this should not be ignored as it might create other problems in our society. Especially with asylum seekers and refugees as they have suffered mental and physical problems and had fled their country.

Also, still struggling to get their rights due to the immigration process. The government should give more support to this category of people and the Home Office should deal with them as normal human beings. Scottish communities, NGOs and other groups should give more help and support and work together with these local communities like BAME to make them integrate with the society and give access to the services as new Scots.