The refugee crisis is one of the definitive issues of our time and, according to the UN Refugee Agency, globally over 100m people have been forced to flee their homes.
In 2021, Trustees of the Alan and Babette Sainsbury Charitable Fund (the ABS Fund) agreed to prioritise small grants to refugee-led organisations. These organisations have often been overlooked by other donors and yet they demonstrate high impact and value for money, usually run by volunteers who have been through the asylum system themselves. Given that Babette herself had been displaced, funding in this category has remained a high priority.
Credit: The All African Women’s Group
The ABS Fund was the first donor to give a grant to The All-African Women’s Group in 2021. This is a self-help group of women asylum seekers, based in London’s Kentish Town. Many have fled war, persecution because of political or religious beliefs or sexual orientation, and increasingly, the climate crisis. Most of the group’s members are mothers, with some separated from their children. Many of them have been held at length in detention centres in the UK. They often face destitution and rely on the group for food and emergency support.
The women meet regularly to work collectively on their asylum cases, and to share skills and knowledge on their legal rights under UK and international law. The group’s self-help approach, sometimes with pro bono support from law firms, has led to successful appeals on asylum decisions, averted evictions, and supported family reunions. The All-African Women’s Group also scales up its work by sharing its learning with other grassroots groups across the UK.
In a country where immigration is both highly contentious and increasingly legislated against, prioritising small, refugee-led groups like the All-African Women’s Group is a way for the ABS Fund to support those most affected by the issues to play a strong role in addressing them.
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