Target reached!
Any extra funding we receive past our target, will be used to continue running the p...
Refugee Healing
Leeds
Aim
To run a voluntary project in Chapeltown, Leeds, proving free holistic therapies to refugees and people seeking asylum
In Touch Massage & Holistic Therapies C.I.C is a not-for-profit community interest company. Our mission is to provide an ethical holistic therapy and wellbeing service which empowers individuals to care for themselves and others, enables improvements in health and is accessible to everyone.
Who are we?
We work as a collective of therapists from a shared treatment room in Chapeltown, Leeds. With years of experience behind us, we are passionate about health and healing and know that massage, yoga, reflexology, and other natural therapies and practices can work wonders for the mind and body. Complementary therapies are often seen as a luxury for people who can afford to pamper themselves. In Touch seek to challenge this. We aim to work within people’s means to help them understand their bodies better. We believe that this knowledge is invaluable and we want to share it with people from all walks of life.
Why are we crowdfunding?
As people who enjoy travel, education, opportunity and freedom, we are horrified at the plight of asylum seekers in the UK. Many of these
people have fled persecution, exile and torture, yet when they reach the UK after journeys of unimaginable hardship, they are put through the stress of a drawn-out asylum case with possible detention and deportation at the end. They now face loneliness, uncertainty and destitution, which they have to deal with alongside the mental and physical pain from their past. As therapists we know we can help these people, by providing a safe, friendly environment for them to manage their stress and powerful therapies to treat their pain.
We have a growing team of fully qualified, professional therapists working on a voluntary basis to provide massage, aromatherapy, reflexology, reiki, yoga and other holistic therapies free of charge to asylum seekers and refugees. We work with local charities and campaign groups to ensure that people who really need our services can access them. The benefits to the volunteers, many of whom are returning to practice after time away from the work they love, are enormous.
Money is tight everywhere and our project has been running without funding for nearly a year. We keep our costs down as much as possible, with all work done on a voluntary basis, including administering the project and co-ordinating the volunteers. However this situation is not sustainable, so we are busily applying for longer term funding and trying to attract new paying clients, which helps fund the project. In the meantime we are struggling with costs and are asking for your help to keep the project running.
Where would the money be spent?
£600 would cover the cost of our project for the next three months, which will give us a chance to secure funding. Money donated will pay for room hire, heating, massage oils, a few new towels and laundry. In the next three months we could provide 120 treatment hours to people who really need them.
In exchange we are offering a number of rewards, including free and discounted treatments, invites to our celebratory event and the chance to be featured on our website as a generous donor.
We thank you in advance for any help, every little really does count! Our clients often have to rely on the goodwill of others and are grateful for all the help they receive.
Winners of Best Alternative Therapy Provider in the Leeds Therapy Awards 2012.
"Being an asylum seeker means you lose your confidence and trust. You are constantly under pressure and fear. You feel anxious and vulnerable. Coming for massage really helps to relieve all my symptoms. Warmer inside and out, feeling more happy and more energetic" Darius Homidi, asylum seeker from Iran
Thanks for reading, pledging and spreading the word!
This project successfully funded on 5th September 2014