We are all very excited that our first family arrives this week. We have a great team of committed volunteer befrienders and interpreters ready to greet the family and help them settle in.
There are still a few time slots on our rota over the next couple of months for Arabic speaking interpreters. These are mostly weekday morning or afternoons for a couple of hours, or being on standby to take a call from the family on one of our phones and pass information on to our befriender coordinator. If you speak Arabic and are able to help we would love to hear from you.
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We are looking for a rectangular, low / coffee table for our family, if anyone has one in good condition that they are able to donate we would be very grateful. Please send pictures and measurements if possible. We can collect. Many thanks!
We are delighted to announce that our first family, a mother and her children, will be arriving in July. Members of ERW have been hard at work preparing the house, getting Enfield Council on board and securing their approval, ensuring school places and setting up the necessary infrastructure; befrienders and interpreters are ready to offer the family all the support they may need in settling in.
This is a major milestone in our journey as community sponsors and we would like to thank everyone who has made the arrival of this family possible. The journey does not stop here and we hope that this will be the first of further refugees we, as a community and a group, are able to welcome. ![]() It’s time to get ready to celebrate Refugee Week! Refugee Week is a nationwide programme of arts, cultural and educational events that celebrate the contribution of refugees to the UK, and encourages a better understanding between communities. Anyone can get involved by organising or attending one of the events. This year it runs from the 19-25 June. Would you like to organise something as part of Enfield Refugee Welcome? This can be as simple as hosting a meal or a picnic and inviting civic leaders. Last year we presented a Refugee Welcome award to a local GP for her work with refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos; this was covered by the Enfield Independent. Perhaps there is someone you know who has made a difference to the lives of refugees who you would like to award? There are a lot of resources and information available on: http://refugeeweek.org.uk There are also lots of great events. Some that might be of interest are: http://refugeeweek.org.uk/events/syrian-refugee-community-iftar/ http://refugeeweek.org.uk/events/people-people-stories-connect-us/ http://refugeeweek.org.uk/events/world-refugee-day-short-film-screening-home-two-films-qa/ http://refugeeweek.org.uk/events/living-libra Let us know if you are going to one of these and would like to meet up with other Enfield Refugee Welcome supporters. If you decide to organize an event, no matter how big or small, let us know so that we can advertise it on the website, or post a notice on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/enfieldrefugeeswelcome Join us on Monday 8th May at Chickenshed play, Refugee Boy, based on the novel by poet Benjamin Zephaniah and adapted for stage by Lemn Sissay. This highly topical and moving story follows 14 year old Alem, a refugee from the civil war in the disputed region between Ethiopia and Eritrea, as he tries to settle into a new life in 1990s London.
After the performance there will be a Post-show discussion with organisations working with refugees today, including Enfield Refugee Welcome and the Refugee Council. For more details see: https://www.chickenshed.org.uk/refugeeboy What: Pub Quiz (including dinner)
When: 20th May 2017, arrive at 19:00, quiz starts at 19:30 Where: Hazelwood Sport Club, Ridge Avenue, London N21 2AJ Who: All ERW members are welcome, and we’d love to see your friends and family there (16+) Parking: There is a carpark on site, suitable for around 30 cars and parking on neighbouring residential roads is available (please car-pool if possible) Food: 1. Chicken & chips 2. Fish & chips 3. Cheese and onion pie & chips (V) Ticket prices—includes entry and dinner : £10 per person (£12 if ordering fish & chips) RESERVE TICKETS BY CONTACTING CHARLOTTE AND INCLUDE YOUR DINNER OPTION. PAY ON THE DOOR. Contact: Charlotte Schofield Phone: 07847 388 403 Email: charlotte.schofield@hotmail.co.uk All proceeds go directly to ERW. Hope to see you there! Churches Together in Palmers Green and Winchmore Hill are holding a 'Welcoming the Stranger' service on April 19th. All are welcome.
Many thanks to Talkies Cinema and everyone who attended their event last Wednesday, raising a fantastic £185 for ERW. They screened the powerful and moving 'Leave to Remain', about a group of unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in the UK. Director Bruce Goodison gave a very interesting Q&A session afterwards.
The film club, Talkies, will be showing Leave To Remain at the Fox pub at 7.30 pm on Wednesday 5th April. This is a film about unaccompanied young asylum seekers and the evening will include a Q & A from the director.
Following the film, there be a collection for Enfield Refugee Welcome. For more information see: http://talkies.org.uk/event/leave-remain-qa-director-bruce-goodison/ Our application for community sponsorship now has full approval from the Home Office.
They will liaise with the UNHCR to begin the selection process for our first family. We are one of the first boroughs in the country to resettle a family under the community sponsorship model and estimate that our first family will arrive within 12 weeks! A huge thanks to everyone who has made this possible. |