Interfaith Refugee Initiative Launched
Scottish faith leaders have joined with voices from across the United Kingdom in an open letter to the Prime Minister calling for more action to help refugees. At an event in the West London Synagogue this morning (pictured), the Interfaith Refugee Initiative was published. The text of the letter reads: We are leaders from Britain’s... Read More
Urgent appeal for winter clothes
WINTER CLOTHES FOR SYRIAN REFUGEES IN LEBANON – Appeal from Edinburgh Direct Aid For each of the past three winters the charity Edinburgh Direct Aid (EDA) has shipped containers of clothes to Arsal, a small town in Lebanon over 5000ft above sea level with bitterly cold winters and over 70,000 Syrian refugees. Until now, funds for... Read More
Peacemaking Sunday
Resources available! Peacemaking Sunday is observed by Christians each year on the nearest Sunday to the United Nations International Day of Peace on 21 September. The Church of Scotland, Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Methodist Church and United Reformed Church provide material each year for a service, including hymns, prayers and reflections. When I... Read More
Freedom from Torture Concert
7.30pm Sunday 11 September 2016 in Sherbrooke St Gilbert’s Church, Pollokshields, Glasgow. Kanako Ito, Gent Kocho & Friends play Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet and Piano Quartet. There will be a charity concert for Freedom from Torture on Sunday 11 September 2016 at 7.30pm (doors open at 7.00) at Sherbrooke St Gilbert’s Church, 240 Nithsdale Road, Pollokshields, Glasgow... Read More
The Refugee Women’s Strategy Group
The Refugee Women’s Strategy Group (RWSG) is a group of refugee and asylum seeking women, whose aim is to ensure that the voices of refugee women are heard. Supported by Scottish Refugee Council and funded by Comic Relief, RWSG work together to represent the views of refugee and asylum seeking women in Scotland to key... Read More
Scottish Solutions to the Refugee Crisis
Globally in 2016 more people – over 60 million – have been displaced from their homes and countries by conflict, disaster and destitution than ever before. How should Scotland respond? Join Chair, the Rt Hon Sir George Reid, and panellists including Dr Alasdair Allan MSP, Minister for International Development and Europe, Iain Gray MSP, Labour politician... Read More
Scottish Faiths Action for Refugees launches local information resource: “Actions with my neighbourhood”
Scottish Faiths Action for Refugees has published new guides online for people wanting to work locally to support refugees. Actions with my neighbourhood is a new section on the Scottish Faiths Action for Refugees website, with practical information broken down by local authority area – on for each of Scotland’s 32 council regions – from... Read More
Migrant Stories
In the spirit of the Edinburgh Festival it is worth mentioning the “Migrant Stories” series at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. The organisers write: “At the centre of this year’s Book Festival is a major series of events which takes a look at the migrant experience. Personal, political and historical perspectives offer Scottish, European and... Read More
The Refugee Aid App
Developed by Shelley Taylor, the mobile phone app RefAid (http://refugeeaidapp.com/) uses GeoLocation to find the nearest asylum and refugee services. The Refugee Aid App provides a single point for refugees to find information, connection and support and a single point for NGOs and charities to share their resources with refugees – location based. “The scale... Read More
The “Humanitarian Corridors” Pilot Project presented to the European Parliament in Brussels
The CEC (Conference of European Churches) writes, “Respect for the sanctity and dignity of human life requires Europe to develop safe and legal channels of entry, guaranteeing the right, enshrined in European Human Rights Conventions, to request asylum in Europe and avoiding the immense suffering caused by the present smuggling and trafficking system.” The Federation... Read More