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| Emma Thompson |
Making refugees destitute has become deliberate policy.
This season of hope, let’s be equally deliberate in our stand for justice.
To make someone feel worthless, you can insult them, beat them – or simply take away their most basic means of living. In the UK, ‘destitution by design’ is fast becoming the official approach to refugees – by denying them the right to work while reducing their allowance – with the Government hoping their distress will make them quietly go home.
Day by day, picking up the pieces of these broken lives, the Refugee Council is fighting hard to counter the devastating effects of this policy. At its Day Centre, homeless people find shelter; traumatised people words of comfort; and hungry people a hot meal.
Whatever you can give you’ll be helping the Refugee Council support people through some truly appalling crises. I passionately hope you will send whatever you can: your gift will be a lifeline in the short term, and a force for change in the long term.
How your gift could ease the hardship faced by destitute refugees in the UK.
We’ll turn your donation into real, practical help for people in desperate situations. We will use your donation to allocate resources wherever the need is greatest, to provide support for destitute refugees. However far your generosity can stretch, you’ll be relieving extreme stress, suffering and hardship. Here are just some examples of what your generosity could mean for refugees.
£30 could pay for breakfast and lunch for 30 destitute refugees.
£50 could pay for an emergency baby pack for a new mother, including nappies, a sling, blankets, clothes and a baby bottle.
£100 could pay for three sessions of counselling for a refugee in need of support.
£250 could help our lobbying team brief MPs and Downing Street on why current policy just isn’t working.
A special seasonal offering of £458 could keep the Day Centre open for a day, providing warmth, hot food and social activities for up to 150 people in great need.
For those able to consider this level of giving, a wonderful and truly generous gift of £2,080 could help provide breakfast and lunch to a table of eight for a whole year at our Day Centre.
* To be eligible for Gift Aid, you must pay an amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax at least equal to the tax that the charity reclaims on your donations in the appropriate tax year (currently 25p for each £1 you give). If you pay tax at a higher rate, you can claim further tax relief for this donation in your Self Assessment Tax Return. You can cancel this declaration with us at any time in writing or over the phone. We’ll stop reclaiming the tax on your donations immediately.
