Refugee Sponsorship Glasgow

Aim

We are working towards the sponsorship and integration of a family seeking refuge into the Glasgow area

We are a small Glasgow-based group of volunteers. All over the UK, local communities have taken part in community sponsorship schemes; over the lock-down, a local group in Ibrox were able to sponsor a family seeking refuge to come to Glasgow. Since attending a talk from that group and meeting the family, the first few members of our group were inspired to do another sponsorship project in Glasgow. 

This sponsorship approach allows us to sponsor and integrate a refugee family into our local area, taking on some of the responsibilities traditionally carried out by government. These schemes do not replace the other (very few) routes for refugees and asylum seekers to come to the UK; instead, every successful sponsorship is additional to existing systems.* 

An essential part of this process is that we need to raise a certain amount of money to both support the family's application and continue to support them with living costs once they arrive. Thanks to donations by amazing people like you, and the wonderful efforts of our fundraising team, we have managed to meet our initial goal of raising at least £10,000. 

However, a large amount of this money will be spent on just getting the family into the UK and any baseline costs of settling in a new area. As the costs of essential products, energy, transport and services continue to rise for most of us, we have continued to raise further money to support the family's ability to settle in the local area and begin to find their feet. We have managed to meet our second fundraising goal of £15,000 and are setting our sights on the next goal of £20,000. 

As the UK government has proposed the creation of potentially debilitating anti-migrant policies, it is now unclear if future recipients of the community sponsorship scheme will be able to access the benefits that previous projects have often relied on. Therefore, we are committed to raising more money in an attempt to reduce financial insecurity for the family. Anything that you can give will be immensely appreciated, and we are grateful for your support. 

If donation is not possible for you, there are other ways you can get involved! Check out our social media for information about upcoming fundraising events. Thanks so much for reading. 

*Unfortunately, the community sponsorship scheme gives no power to local communities to choose specific people (such as family members) to benefit from the scheme. However, we are committed to opening up more routes to those seeking refuge, as the UK's political environment makes it increasingly difficult to do so. We are supported by a network of other community groups who have carried out the process before, and are also learning as we go along. 

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made