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Refugee volunteering project gets a 'Goldstar'

Wednesday 3rd January 2007

A project giving asylum seekers and refugees the chance to volunteer in Manchester workplaces has been extended until 2008.

The Horizons Project, run by Refugee Action, was due to end next month (January) but received an award from the government’s Goldstar Programme for exemplary volunteering projects.

Horizons has placed 360 asylum seekers and refugees in voluntary work across Manchester and Salford since it started in September 2003, with 100 people active at any one time.

Registered organisations include hospitals and charities like Help the Aged, as well as the Imperial War Museum and Citizens’ Advice Bureaux.

Horizons manager Tim Hilton said: “We are delighted to be able to continue this vital service. Asylum seekers are not allowed to work and are often desperate to use their skills and make a contribution to the community while they await an outcome on their applications. Refugees can also have difficulty finding their first job and experience of a British workplace is invaluable.

“We get great feedback from the organisations that take on our volunteers. As a Goldstar project, Horizons is now recognised as a beacon of best practice in volunteering with disadvantaged groups and we are working with other organisations to promote our work and give advice and training.”

Clementine, a former midwife from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was keen to develop her skills and volunteers each week at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport. She said:

“Through volunteering I have met friends, improved my English and I really enjoy being around the babies and mothers. Horizons has helped me so much. If I didn’t volunteer I would have nothing to do.”

Sally Cassini, voluntary services manager at the hospital, said: “We are delighted to have Clementine and to give others a chance to work with someone from a different culture. She is a lovely person, lively, loyal and committed to the hospital and has become an invaluable member of the team.

“We have a good partnership with Horizons and have taken on several volunteers. We benefit from their help while they get experience of a real workplace in the UK.”

For further information or to arrange an interview please call Julia Ravenscroft, press officer at Refugee Action, on 0161 233 1956 or contact Juliar@refugee-action.org.uk.

Notes:

Refugee Action is an independent, national charity working to enable refugees to build new lives in the UK. We provide practical advice and assistance for newly arrived asylum seekers and long-term commitment to their settlement through community development work, and assisted around 40,000 asylum seekers last year. As one of the country’s leading agencies in the field, Refugee Action has 25 years’ experience in pioneering innovative work in partnership with refugees.
For further information on the Goldstar programme see: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/newsroom/news_releases/2006/060913_goldstar.asp