Hello everyone,

I am handing over the reins to the new Campaigns and Communications Manager, Anne, as of next week. Anne and I have co-written this newsletter and she has introduced herself below and is very excited to get started. She can be contacted at [email protected] in case you want to reach out or introduce yourself. 

It has been a pleasure to work for WFMA despite all the difficulties that have been thrown at the organisation and its visitors over the past year by government policy and the cost of living crisis.

The work that WFMA and its volunteers do for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in the borough is incredibly important, which is why it has been so satisfying to see the organisation expand and develop in such a short space of time.

After taking a short break to complete my Bar studies, I hope to remain involved in the organisation going forward in a different capacity.

In solidarity,

Joseph

WFMA Updates

New Campaigns and Communications Manager

I’m Anne, the new part-time Communications and Campaigns Manager taking over from Joseph, and I’m very excited to be in this role. I am a human rights and gender justice advocate and activist with two decades experience of working national and international level campaigns and advocacy initiatives. I am Walthamstow based and passionate about our community.
 
I’ve long had an interest in migrant justice issues and in local grassroots organising. So, five years ago, I started volunteering for the Waltham Forest Migrant Action Support Centre. Working alongside a group of committed people providing front line advice to migrants taught me so much. It also exposed me to the huge challenges migrants face every day and made me more determined to bring about positive change.
 
I’m looking forward to getting stuck in. I’ll aim to continue producing the high-quality monthly newsletter you’ve become used to, keeping the website up-to-date and expanding our social media reach.
 
I’m really keen to hear from you. Please get in touch to share any ideas you may have, as well as news or events you’d like to see included in the newsletter by emailing at [email protected].
 
And one final word of thanks to Joseph for your brilliant work over the last year. We will miss you but wish you all the best in your future endeavour.

Recruitment – General Manager

We are looking for a General Manager!

This is a new post and an exciting opportunity for someone to fashion a vital role as part of a great team as WFMA grows and expands its service delivery and care of its staff and volunteers.

The post will be:

  • 15 hours per week (hybrid, but with some agreed in-person hours at the drop-in Support Centre);
  • Duration: 12 months (with a realistic prospect of continuing for a further 3-4 years in the first instance, funding permitted);
  • Salary: £36,400 pro rata (£13,332 per annum).

For the job description and person specification,and information about how to apply please go to this page.

We particularly welcome applicants with lived experience of migration or borders or the UK immigration system. 

The deadline to apply for the role is 12pm on 1 October 2024 latest. CVs will not be accepted.

New trustees still needed

We are still recruiting for a number of voluntary trustee positions.

We are looking for trustees who share our values and have the time and energy to help us build our charity. 

We are keen to find someone with experience as a treasurer / bookkeeper, as well as people with skills in grant applications and human resources. But whether you are an experienced trustee or new to the role, we’d like to hear from you.

Please share the job advert in your networks – and apply if you think you’re right for the role!

Support Centre update

At the trustee meeting last weekend the brilliant Mel provided another update on the work of the Support Centre during the summer months of July and August.

The monthly number of contacts was 73 in July and 58 in August (despite being closed on 7 and 9 August) up from 47 in June. This includes figures from the Wednesday casework sessions as well as the Friday drop-in. This means that we help over 16 people per week.

Despite our relentless busyness, we are better at finishing on time and the ability to do more concentrated work on Wednesdays allows us to see more people on a Friday morning.

Immigration is back to making up more than half as the primary reason for contacting the centre. In addition, on Wednesdays, we are seeing more people to help them with their eVisas. As we highlighted on the website earlier this year, the Home Office have decided that every single person that has any type of visa (babies and children included) must swap from a physical permit (or occasionally a vignette in a passport) to a ‘virtual’ visa or ‘eVisa’ by the end of this year. It is not difficult to do if you have a smart phone that can be used for contactless payments and it requires patience as it involves repeated sending of codes to phones or emails.

Finally, congrats to Cornelia who has passed her OISC level 1 exam (thereby doubling the number of accredited immigrations advisers we have).

News

The new government

When newly elected Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, announced an end to the Rwanda deportation scheme, we all breathed a sigh of relief. It was short-lived. News of his recent visit to Italy to meet far-right Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, to discuss her approach to deporting migrants rescued at sea to have their asylum claims processed in Albania, is cause for deep concern, and amounts to little more than scrapping one flawed asylum off-shoring scheme for another.

The timing of his visit coincided with two tragedies in the Channel, leading to more unnecessary loss of life. This should serve as an important reminder that what is desperately needed is safe routes and a system that treats asylum seekers with compassion, humanity, and dignity.   

As anticipated, the King’s Speech included an announced the introduction of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which will seek to ‘modernise’ the asylum and immigration system and strengthen and secure the border. It remains unclear what this will entail but in light of Home Office plans to increase removals of those who have had their asylum claims rejected, expectations across the migrant and refugee community remain low.

NGOs resist unethical Home Office funding

In a letter to the Home Secretary, migrant justice organisations expressed alarm about a dangerous and unethical UK Home Office contract offering to pay NGOs in the UK and abroad to help remove them from the UK, risking making trusted migrant support organisations complicit with border enforcement.

Women for Refugee Women report (cw: gender-based violence)

Earlier this month, Women for Refugee Women published Coercion and Control, new research focused specifically on the treatment of women seeking asylum in hotel accommodation. Contrary to media and political discourse, people living in hotel accommodation face difficult conditions – cramped and unhygienic rooms, poor diet, restrictive regulations, and dehumanising treatment – all of which have a devastating impact on their mental well-being.

The majority of women seeking asylum, between 65% – 85%, are survivors of gender-based-violence. The report reveals how who women are routinely monitored, isolated from social networks, denied access to services, subjected to degrading behaviour are forced to relive coercive and controlling behaviours that are deeply triggering.

The report shares powerful stories and makes strong recommendations to mitigate the harms of hotel accommodation and end the use of hotels altogether, using safe and support accommodation instead, so women seeking asylum can recover and rebuild their lives.

Events

  • Let’s End Detention Together , an online rally, 2 October 2024 from 7.00 – 8.30 pm. 
  • JCWI have created a brand new toolkit to help people navigating the UK’s immigration system to access justice. They are launching the toolkit – along with translations into common community languages – with an online event on Monday 21st October, 18:00-19:30. Sign up here.
  • A new major exhibition, All Our Stories: Migration and the Making of Britain, launched earlier this month at the Migration Museum in Lewisham, London SE13 7HB. Ends on 20 December 2024. Free admission.
  • The London Migration Film Festival will take place between 20 – 27 November 2024. More details when they become available. 

Get involved

Could you be a WFMA volunteer?

If you have any time to spare each week, month or even for a one-off piece of work, please do email [email protected] and we will send you a registration form so we can see how we might best use your talents!

If you’re interested in anything campaigns or communications related, please contact me at [email protected] 

Support us

Become a WFMA member and become part of our community – click here to fill out the joining form.

Alternatively, click here! to make a one-time donation – or even better, set up a monthly recurring donation – and make a valuable contribution to what we do.

Every penny you give will be appreciated and go towards helping us give urgently needed support to migrants in Waltham Forest through our Support Centre and other work.

The Support Centre is open for drop-in every Friday from 10am -12.30pm at the Baptist Church, 65 Blackhorse Road, Walthamstow E17 7AS.

For more information, please email is [email protected]. Most immigration inquiries will require a follow up appointment – so drop in, phone or email to secure a time.