Showing posts with label Sufra NW London. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sufra NW London. Show all posts

Friday 7 July 2023

Sufra launch 'pre-loved' uniform drive amidst family financial challenges - donate good condition uniforms


 From Sufra NW London

It’s time again for Sufra’s Annual Uniform Drive!

Over the next month, we will be collecting ‘preloved’ school uniforms and distributing them to hundreds of families in Brent.

The families we see every week already face countless financial challenges, and many simply can’t afford to buy new uniforms in time for the new school year in September.

Our Uniform Drive is also a green decision. We want to encourage everyone to reduce, reuse and recycle the items they no longer need, whilst supporting their local community.

What are we collecting?

Any school shirts, polo shirts, trousers, jumpers, blazers (Brent schools only!), ties, pinafores and shoes. Particularly in need are secondary-age trousers and blazers.

We ask that the uniform is donated in good condition. Please wash items before donating, and do not donate any items that have tears, stains or holes.

How can I donate my spare uniform?

We will be partnering with schools in Brent borough for the uniform collection. Look out for yellow Sufra wheelie bins at your school! If you have collected lots of uniform and you need help getting it to us – give us a call on 0203 441 1335 and we may be able to help! Uniform can also be dropped off at Sufra NW London at 160 Pitfield Way, Stonebridge, NW10 0PW any time between Monday-Friday 10am-5pm before MONDAY 7TH AUGUST 2023.

How else can I support the Uniform Drive?

Please get in touch if you would like a Uniform Collection Bin to rally your community and collect as much as possible! The more donations we receive, the more families we will be able to support. If you can collect uniforms from your own networks, including your neighbours, place of worship or workplace, then we can support you. Email nina@sufra-nwlondon.org.uk for more info.

Together, we can supply uniforms to hundreds of young people this summer, allowing them to start the new year ready to learn.


Monday 27 March 2023

Sufra's Ramadan Emergency Appeal

 

 

Sufra do an amazing job so please consider supporting their appeal HERE

 Crisis is all around us and millions are suffering in countries across the world. This Ramadan, we are acknowledging our shared struggles and responsibilities as members of an extended human family and we are counting (and sharing) our blessings for living in relative peace and security. 

 

Our hearts go out to our brothers and sisters affected by the tragic events in Syria and Turkey, as well as those living with conflict and war in Yemen, Ukraine and elsewhere. At Sufra, we see the devastating impact of these disasters on those we support every day such as the many refugees and asylum seekers we support who are fleeing conflict and facing an extremely hostile environment in the UK. 

 

Unsurprisingly, our migrant guests struggle to build a new life in a country where a fifth of the population now live in poverty, 7 million families are skipping meals, and the cost of living is impossibly high even for the average family. 

 

It's no wonder our refugee and advice services are at bursting point and our social media posts are littered with requests to help top up our food bank shelves with essentials that have run dry. 

 

It doesn't have to be this way. If we act together in a spirit of love and selfless giving, our combined effort can make a lasting impact on the lives of thousands of people. 

 

This Ramadan, we are asking you to stand in solidarity with Sufra NW London, to share your blessings, and to help us support thousands of local people who are struggling to survive.

Thursday 23 June 2022

REFUGEE WEEK: People Power in The Face of a Hostile Environment

 I am grateful to  Zena Kazeme (Refugee Resettlement Officer for Sufra NW London) for permission to reprint the article below first published on the Sufra website LINK.  Do please consider contributing to Sufra's amazing work. Link at the end of the article.

 

 

It’s almost unbelievable to think that this September will mark the 7th anniversary of the death of Aylan Kurdi, the Syrian toddler who captured the hearts of millions across the world, when his small body washed ashore after making the treacherous journey across the sea on a dinghy. The image of the 3-year-old jolted the world and for a moment, the tragedy provided a glimmer of hope that change would ensue.

 

Fast forward 7 years and not only have over 6,000 migrants drowned in the Mediterranean sea since Aylan’s death, but those who have managed to arrive at our shores are facing the harshest policies in an environment that is growing more hostile by the day.

 

In April this year, despite widespread condemnation, the government confirmed plans to outsource asylum seekers to detention centres in Rwanda. Following the introduction of the Nationality and Borders Act, the government announced it will transfer responsibility for providing asylum to those who arrive in the UK by irregular routes, such as crossing the English Channel in a boat from France, to a “safe third country” – Rwanda. The plan stated that anyone who had arrived in the UK ‘illegally’, as of January 2022, would be liable for removal. It slowly became apparent that once people are exported, their claims are no longer considered under UK law, but rather as Rwandan asylum claims – and even those who go on to be granted asylum won’t have right of return to the UK. The UK’s legal obligations end once they have been deported.

 

An Illegal Asylum Seeker?

 

The plans mention asylum seekers arriving in the UK “illegally”, which begs the question; is there such a thing as an “illegal” asylum seeker? In short, the answer is no. The plan is referring to individuals who have arrived via unofficial routes, usually by crossing the channel on a small boat. Under international law, anyone fleeing home to seek safety has a right to apply for asylum, regardless of how they reach the UK. In fact, the majority of the guests we work with at Sufra, arrived through unofficial routes, risking their lives to find safety. For some guests from Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen, it took over a year to reach the UK.

 

Plans to export refugees to a ‘safe third country’ for processing has been lurking in the shadows for several years but it was mostly forgotten until this spring. However, the conclusion to label Rwanda as a suitable and safe third country is particularly puzzling, considering an estimated 10,000 Rwandan citizens have sought asylum in the UK between 2000 and 2018 fleeing dictatorship and human rights abuses. Many of these refugees are from the LGBTQ+ community and organisations that work with the community have expressed deep concerns about Rwanda’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies, which could put the lives of thousands of asylum seekers the UK is planning to export, at risk.

 

Seeing the Impact of the Policy first-hand at Sufra

 

As the news was announced and began to spread, I received back-to-back distressed calls from worried young people and families in temporary accommodation across London. Individuals who have already had to bear the brunt of the hostile environment policies were now facing a fresh anxiety. One single mother from Iraq who had arrived with her children in February and had still not had her asylum claim processed, called in tears asking whether she would be deported, and at the time, I could not confidently say no. Initially, the plan provided no clarity on who is set to be removed, just that it would include anyone who arrived ‘illegally’ as of January 2022.

 

Hope in Response to Hostility

 

As soon as plans were announced, immigration lawyers, activists and refugee organisations across the UK rose to challenge the decision and express solidarity with refugees. First, they challenged the retrospective nature of the rule and were successful in ensuring no asylum seekers who have arrived before June 2022 would not be deported. Within weeks, another challenge was launched against the plan over failure to identify risks to LGBTQ+ refugees. Charities across the country organised to write to MPs and place pressure on airlines not to carry passengers facing deportation. Dozens of activists protested outside of immigration removal centres, chanting ‘we are with you’, as the first notices for removal were issued to asylum seekers. Demonstrations outside the Home Office amplified the voices of scared refugees who are living in fear as they watch the news unfold every day. This led to global criticism of the plans and prompted the UNHCR to condemn the government on failing to meet the standards of legality and appropriateness.

 

As of 14th June 2022, 7 people detained in the UK were facing deportation. Despite the hard work of lawyers, activists, organisations and even criticism from Prince Charles who dubbed the Rwanda plan ‘appalling’, the Court of Appeal rejected the latest legal efforts to block the first deportation flight. Luckily, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) intervened – the Strasbourg court made a ruling on a single case, putting the whole plan on pause. However, Justice secretary Dominic Raab has confirmed the government will introduce a ‘British Bill of Rights’ which would give more power to the British Supreme Court over the ECHR and allow life-saving rulings to be ignored in the future.

 

We have seen the impact of people power reduce the number of asylum seekers facing deportation from 50 to 7, and we cannot stop now. Despite the advances we have made, there are still many suffering from severe trauma who wake up every morning to news that can upend their lives. We have seen first-hand the difficulties asylum seekers face in temporary accommodation, from unsuitable, cramped living space to starvation and lack of mental health support, and now the risk of being deported to another continent and an uncertain future.

 

United We Stand

 

The plan is unworkable, immoral, and unethical on many levels. We know that it will not deter desperate people seeking sanctuary from arriving in the UK. Instead, it will push a community that is already overlooked to the margins of society. Asylum seekers will seek any means of survival available and that could push many who fear deportation to escape from Home Office accommodation onto the streets. It will lead to an increase in mental health needs, which are already unmet. The number of young asylum seekers on hunger strike in the UK is rising daily and despite the Home Secretary labelling it as ‘attempts to frustrate the process and delay removal’, it poses a real risk to the lives of many young people.

 

As we celebrate Refugee Week and Pride Month, we must keep in mind that the hard-won rights we are celebrating were achieved through people power. Individuals came together demanding the changes we are celebrating today. We are now facing a moment in history that will shape the future of the UK’s response to refugees. We have a duty to ensure that we continue to resist any policies that pose a threat to the long-held principles of compassion and tolerance towards anyone who arrives seeking sanctuary.

 


DONATE TO SUFRA HERE


Wednesday 4 May 2022

Enough is enough! Foodbanks urge you to sign the petition to increase benefits by at least 7% to keep pace with inflation

 

In its latest email to supporter Sufra NW write:

 

Even before the additional rise in fuel prices due in October, more and more people are finding it impossible to pay their bills and buy enough food for their families. 

 

Our benefits system should reflect the true cost of living and provide a safety net for the most vulnerable. Instead it’s leaving food banks to pick up the pieces. Sufra has seen an unprecedented level of demand from new food bank users – and so have fellow members of the Independent Food Aid Network.

 

Enough is Enough!

 

This petition calls on the UK Government to urgently increase benefit payments by at least 7% to keep pace with inflation, alongside longer term improvements to the benefits system.

 

The petition is being shared by the Trussell Trust, the Independent Food Aid Network and Feeding Britain.

SIGN THE PETITION HERE

 

The Petition

 

Food banks cannot and should not pick up the pieces of UK government inaction against the rising cost of living.

 

The cost of living is rising rapidly and increasing numbers of people are finding it impossible to cover their essential costs because their income is insufficient. A perfect storm is here and the future looks bleak with a further rise in fuel prices when the energy price cap rises again in October. People with money worries are turning to charity and being forced to take on debts. People need help now. The benefits system should reflect the true cost of living and ensure it keeps people from falling into hunger and poverty. 

 

The Chancellor has so far failed to provide enough security for people on the very lowest incomes to weather the current storm. With every day of inaction, the food bank where I work prepares for more people to be forced through our doors. Other food banks in the Trussell Trust network and members of the Independent Food Aid Network and the Feeding Britain network are telling the same story. This is no longer about the cost of living - for many, this is about surviving.

  

The benefits system should reflect the true cost of living; instead it's leaving food banks to pick up the pieces.  And yet for the first time ever, food banks in the Trussell Trust network provided more than 2.1 million food parcels to people across the UK outside of 2020/21, the height of the pandemic. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Food banks and other charitable food aid providers which are part of IFAN and the Feeding Britain network are seeing similar devastating increases. 

 

More and more people are being put at risk of destitution, unable to afford the absolute essentials that we all need to eat, stay warm, dry, and clean. Food banks, food pantries and other food aid providers across the UK are working even harder just to keep families afloat as the essentials we all need in life are becoming increasingly out of reach and many food bank workers are feeling exhausted and over-stretched. This cannot be right.  

 

Enough is enough.  

 

Please sign this petition which calls on the UK Government to urgently increase benefit payments by at least 7% to keep pace with inflation. Longer term, it must introduce a commitment in the benefits system to make sure everyone has enough money in their pockets to prevent destitution. 

 

Steph Maxwell, Uttlesford Foodbank Coordinator (Trussell Trust Network)

This petition is being shared by the Trussell Trust, the Independent Food Aid Network and Feeding Britain.

 

Saturday 3 August 2019

St Raphael's Edible Garden - the transformative power of community gardening revealed

The site May 2015
August 2015
Pride after planting seeds September 2015
Constructing the pond September 2015
It was lovely to visit the St Raphael's Edible Garden, one of Sufra NW London's amazing projects today. The garden not only provides vegetables and fruits for the food bank and Sufra's cooking activities, but is itself a therapeutic oasis for the local community.

I have included the images above  that I took on a visit early in the projectso you can judge what has been achieved in just four years by the workers, hundreds of volunteers and local community.  This is how the Edible Garden looked today - from a piece of derelict land to this!

The teaching tipi
Inside the polytunnel
Social Space The garden is open to the public Wednesday to Friday 10am to 4pm where you can go and relax and have a free cup of tea.

There is a Growing Club  taster-session every Wednesday from 10am-4pm where you can try your hand at a range of gardening activities.

Regular Gardening Volunteering takes place Monday to Friday with morning and afternoon sessions. Free but registration required,

Artisanal Workshops are held on the first Thursday of every month during term time and run from 4.30pm to 6.30pm - creative projects for all the family. Registration required,

Growing Academy - various dates. Accredited horticultural course that teaches young people about plants, soil, flowers, vegetables and growing. Free but registration required.

Corporate Volunteering and Team Building  Companies/organisations can come and volunteer for the day helping to maintain  the garden through DIY projects. Enquiry for details and fees.

More information on these activities:

admin@sufra-nwlondon.org.uk
020 3441 1335
160 Pitfield Way NW10 0PW


EDITOR'S NOTE: The St Raphael's Estate is due to be either refurbished or demolished and re-developed with some private housing. I hope Brent Council will recognise the need to preserve the Edible Garden whatever the eventual decision on the future of the estate.

Thursday 25 July 2019

Great opportunity for 11-18 year olds at Sufra Summer Academy


From Sufra NW London (Ed: This is brilliant!)

The Summer Academy is our latest AQA accredited course aimed at young people between 11-18 years of age who have an interest in food – whether it’s eating it, growing it or cooking it!
The week-long course will be taught from our kitchen as well as on St. Raphael’s Edible Garden, and is designed to give participants a deeper insight into the principles of healthy eating, food preparation and horticulture. The course runs from Monday to Friday, with a free day-trip to the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew on the Wednesday.

It’s a fun and engaging course that will help develop self-esteem and confidence, whilst also teaching young people to cook a range of nutritious meals. We provide additional support with literacy, numeracy and CV writing where necessary – which could open up routes into future employment or apprenticeships in the gardening or catering industries.

Course dates and times

We have two courses running over the summer holidays:
  • Monday 19th, Tuesday 20th, Thursday 22nd and Friday 23rd August 2019, from 10am to 5pm
  • Monday 26th, Tuesday 27th, Thursday 29th and Friday 30th August 2019, from 10am to 5pm
Notice: Please be aware that there will be no classes on Wednesdays.
If you are interested in enrolling, please download and compete the Registration Form (see link below) and return it to admin@sufra-nwlondon.org.uk
If you have any questions, please email us or call 020 3441 1335

 

Sunday 26 May 2019

Sufra appeal for three Iraqi asylum seeking families in desperate need

Three Iraqi families seeking asylum turned up at Sufra this week, desperate for help. Two of the mothers are pregnant and one has just given birth prematurely.

They fled Iraq together to avoid persecution. As Asylum Seekers, they get almost no support from the government. They have nowhere safe to stay and no money to buy food – let alone nappies.

Here’s what we urgently need until they get housed (2 months) and are granted refugee status (1 year minimum):
  • Emergency Accommodation (x60 nights) = £1,200 per family
  • Baby Clothes, Blankets and Bottles (x3) = £100 per family
  • Baby Cot (x3) = £90 each
  • Pram (x3) = £120 each
  • Household Basics (x3) = £200 per family
    (Including bedding, cooking/cleaning equipment, crockery, etc.)
  • Other Essentials (x3): £300 per family
    (Including a small grant, oyster cards, a mobile phone and top-up, food parcels, etc.)
That’s about £2010 per family.

You’re welcome to donate directly to Sufra NW London here so that we can buy exactly what they need. 

Monday 6 May 2019

After Sufra, putting young people first in Tanzania. Guest post by Mohammed S Mamdani

There was surprise when it was announced that Mohammed S Mamdani, the dynamic force behind Sufra Foodbank was leaving. Mohammed has given Wembley Matters permission  to repost his blog post about the new project in which he is involved in Tanzania LINK.

Here he reflects on his experience:

Kijana Kwanza (Young People First)  is a new youth organisation based in the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania. Our aim is to empower a new generation of Tanzanian youth to acquire the knowledge and skills that will enable them to succeed in life.
 
Whilst I have worked in the not for profit sector for over 15 years, until now my experience has been limited to projects in the UK. But following a trip to Tanzania in July 2017 to meet my uncle who had fallen unwell, I was reacquainted with a part of my heritage that I have not always recognised. My paternal great-grandparents moved from India to East Africa at the turn of the 20th century and my father was born in Moshi, a small mercantile town at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's tallest summit.  

I had not visiting Tanzania since I was a child. Twenty year later, as I set foot on the tarmac of Kilimanjaro International Airport, I felt a certain affinity to this part of the world. And as the days passed, I began to recognise that so much of my upbringing - my mother tongue and the food we ate at home - had been influenced by the cultural traditions of East Africa. 

But I was also conscious of a less pleasant truth. Since the middle of the 19th century, hundreds of thousands of Indians escaped poverty in their home-country to build a new life in East Africa (and other parts of Africa), at the invitation of the colonial powers. Soon, many began to prosper and acquire huge wealth, often to the neglect, and dare I say, exploitation of the local African population. 

I have no idea what role, if any, my ancestors played in this project, but when I look upon the graves of my grandparents in Moshi's cemetery, I know that the privileges I enjoy today, bear some relation to the opportunities they discovered in Africa. And possibly, at the expense of local Africans. 

Throughout my short visit to Tanzania, I was deeply moved by the plight of so many local Africans and humbled by their hospitality and willingness to share what little they had. This was despite the racial inequalities (that continue to this day) between East African Indians and locals, and the stubborn contempt that some Indians continue to display - whether openly or discreetly - for natives. 

Whilst such a public critique may offend some within my community, it would be dishonest on my part to perpetuate the romanticised history of Indian minorities in Africa, which I was fed as a child. 

Motivated and determined to right the wrongs of the past, I made several further trips to Tanzania over the next year or so - visiting NGOs, meeting charity leaders and volunteering in different organisations. And through these trips, I made new friends who invited me to their homes and villages to better understand the cultural context of poverty in Tanzania.  

On my last trip to Tanzania in July 2018, I sat down with my good friend Mujibu and proposed some ideas for a new project, based on my critical assessment of the needs of Tanzanian youth and the gaps in current provision. Mujibu affirmed the conclusions of my research and responded with great enthusiasm. He promised to help me setup the project. From that day, Mujibu become my partner in crime.  

Mujibu is an impressive young 'leader' with his own story of growing up in poverty. After completing a vocational course in ICT, he invested in a library pass and taught himself the full A-level syllabus, without the help of a tutor. And a few years ago, he graduated from the University of Dodoma as a qualified teacher. Initially he worked as a manager at the same NGO in Moshi that had sponsored his vocational education, but now he works as a civil servant in a nearby village. In everything he does, Mujibu has a can-do attitude. He's an ambitious grafter, a prolific networker and much more sensible (and tactful) than me!  

After the summer, we continued our conversations on WhatsApp, speaking almost every other day. The first few opportunities just passed, as I hesitated on how to go proceed. How could I hold a full-time job in the UK and setup a charity abroad? 

But eventually, I decided to take the risk. Last month, Mujibu rented a house in Njoro, one of the most deprived districts of Moshi Town, which will soon become the base of our new project - a hostel that will be home to a small group secondary school students. Aside from sponsoring their education and providing for all their welfare needs, we will deliver a diverse programme of extra-curricular activities and life skills training to help our young residents make a successful transition into adulthood. A future where they have the means to overcome all the social, cultural and financial barriers they face in order to become skilled, globally aware and economically independent members of society. 

This is our goal. And I look forward to sharing our story with you. 

Mohammed S Mamdani

You can donate to the project HERE

Friday 19 April 2019

Easter Appeal from Sufra NW London as Universal Credit hits families


From Sufra NW London


It’s always a busy time at Sufra. There’s lots going on this Easter weekend (see below) and we’ve got plenty to look forward to over Ramadan – including a film screening and iftar (more about that next week). And now that schools are on holiday, our young volunteers have also been hanging around, causing the usual mayhem…

Last week, whilst clearing out the chicken coop, Dahir dared Ryan to pick up and cuddle one of the chickens (he’s never had the courage to touch one before). Little did they know the chicken was about to lay an egg, which is why it was sitting in the coop. The chicken freaked out, bit Ryan’s hand and dropped a fresh egg on his new trainers.

I’m not sure whether he was more traumatised by the sight of an egg magically emerging from a chicken’s bottom or the sticky mess on his Nikes.

Speaking of which, if you would like to be part of Sami’s Chicken Club and help us look after our chickens at the weekend, please get in touch with jim@sufra-nwlondon.org.uk

Running on Empty 

Universal Credit is having a real impact on our services. In recent weeks, we’ve had a significant rise in the number of families coming to Sufra in desperate need of food and toiletries.

We were so busy last week that our stockroom shelves emptied before we could serve all our guests. We realised we don’t have enough shelf space if more than 40 families arrive in the space of a couple of hours. So, we’ve made a bit more space and recruited more volunteers.

But we also need more food and toiletries to restock our shelves.

That’s where you can help. Could you arrange a food delivery of the items we’ve run out of?
  • Long Life Milk
  • Tins of Tuna
  • Toilet Roll
  • Soap
  • Baby Milk Powder
  • Nappies (sizes 1-4)
  • Instant Coffee
  • Tinned Vegetables (any)
  • Tinned Fruit (any)
  • Cordial or Juice (1 litre)
Increasingly, our supporters are purchasing items online and arranging a delivery straight to Sufra. Any supermarket will do the job – and there are often voucher codes available for first time online shoppers.

The delivery address is Sufra NW London, 160 Pitfield Way, London, NW10 0PW. There is always someone around between Monday – Friday, 9.30am-6pm to receive the delivery.

Please email us to let us know when to expect any deliveries - admin@sufra-nwlondon.org.uk 

Thank you in advance.