EMERGENCY NRPF GROCERY & TRAVEL FUND FOR J

Aim

EMERGENCY NRPF GROCERY/TRAVEL FUND FOR J.Our friend J is from a so-called 'Commonwealth' country. He has lived in the UK for over 20 years. ...

EMERGENCY NRPF GROCERY/TRAVEL FUND FOR J.

Our friend J is from a so-called 'Commonwealth' country. He has lived in the UK for over 20 years. He is vulnerable to deportation and is currently fighting a legal battle to stay in this country where his children, family members and friends desperately need him. 

J lives in enforced destitution. 

He cannot buy food to eat or meet his basic needs because of the UK's inhumane immigration laws. UK immigration law is a racist system designed to maintain ruling class and ruling state: it makes it illegal for humans to work and access benefits purely based on where that person was born and what kind of papers they have. The UK government punishes people who migrate by making sure that they cannot earn money to feed themselves and stay alive. This is what they are doing to J. As it does to so many people in similar situations, living in state-enforced poverty has given J debilitating PTSD and anxiety. 

Because J is not legally able to support himself, he frequently skips meals. The poverty he experiences restricts his health, his movements, his relationships, and his future. For several years, his sole source of food has been sporadic donations from one individual. This is unsustainable because it means J cannot predict or control when he is getting his next meal. He is also frequently unable to afford bus travel (which in London is usually £1.50 per journey), meaning he misses out on vital social support from friends and family. 

J's friends are concerned that J is unsafe because he has not got enough money to eat. 

We are raising an emergency fund for £2,500 to cover:

•  the costs of J's groceries for the next year, which we think will be around £2,000.
•  J's travel costs for a year, which we think will be around £500. This will enable him to attend solicitor and other essential appointments as well as to see his friends and family. 

We hope that you, particularly those who have secure immigration status and access to benefits in the UK, might be able to help J be more safe and supported this year by donating anything you can to J's emergency grocery and travel fund. We know this is a hard time for many & that some may be unable to donate money, but still want to show solidarity-- if that is the case, just sharing this crowdfunder online or with friends would be so helpful to J. Anything at all is deeply appreciated.

J also wants to point out that thousands of other people are in the exact same unsafe situation of enforced poverty, restricted from working and accessing benefits on the basis of their immigration status. J would appreciate it if we could all speak openly with our friends and communities about ways we can better protect one another when the state tries to harm any one of us. 

Any donations over J's target for his emergency fund will be donated to grassroot support networks such as SDS (SOAS Detainee Support).

This project successfully funded on 16th November 2020