Help launch our SOAR Store!

Dear friends and supporters,

Thank you so much for taking the time to read about my organisation, Sound of Asylum-Seekers & Refugees (SOAR). Like everyone who becomes a part of SOAR, I hope you feel WELCOME!

SOAR is a brand-new community organisation aiming to support the needs of refugees & asylum-seekers in London. We are working to improve access to community, affordable clothing and products for people with refugee backgrounds, especially now as we work together to rebuild after the pandemic.

About SOAR

SOAR is founded by Kurdish woman, architect, Human Right activist and entrepreneur Heval Erdemli. She herself came to England seeking asylum in 2017. She remembers feeling socially isolated, and although she could speak English, she found herself barely leaving the house in the first 3 months, with nowhere to go that was accessible and welcoming. Loneliness was a big problem for her and is still for many newcomers. 

Accessing proper clothing and other basic needs also felt difficult. A friend of Heval’s, also an asylum-seeker, had trouble buying shoes for his 16 year-old son, who wandered for months in torn shoes. This affected her heart deeply. 

She told herself nobody should walk around with torn things, and nobody should be alone. And for many years, she worked on that vision. She strategised and participated in business planning courses. She put together a small team of migrant women, who share the same experiences of displacement. They want to use their lived experiences and understandings of refugee barriers to create relevant service offerings and forge the culture of SOAR Community Hub: a place to feel at home. A place to feel welcome.

What we are building 

The first step towards developing the SOAR Community Hub is to produce a pop-up shop, the SOAR Store! The pop-up shop will be filled with high-quality, pre-loved clothing, shoes, children’s garments, and accessories. The items will be heavily discounted for people who have, or are seeking recognition of their refugee status. We will also plan to collect sanitary products and other new basic necessities through partnerships with businesses and organisations. 

SOAR will be a bit more than a shop. We will have a notice board advertising accessible opportunities, information and events, and can help signpost to different refugee services, agencies and organisations around London. There will be space where people can take a load off and spend time together. 

How you can help 

The SOAR Store is working to find great places to pop up, at markets and venues around London, when restrictions on retail ease. Please donate towards our start-up pop-up costs- 840 GBP-  so we can get to work selling our growing inventory of clothing and other items! 

We have already contracted a weekend stall at Truman Brewery on Brick Lane, and if regulations allow, may launch there as early as mid-April!

Please consider stretching your generous contribution to 20 GBP or more. If you donate more than 20 GBP, we'll send you a limited edition “Let’s Just Be Kind: Welcome Refugees” SOAR 100% natural cotton large canvas tote bag- with a pocket! :) 

Strength comes from unity. Your support can help us begin our work breaking down some of the economic and social barriers refugees disproportionately face in London, taking small steps towards changing lives.

Stay involved

You can follow us on LinkedIn and email [email protected] with any questions or non-monetary contributions.

And finally, please share this campaign with your community of family, friends, and colleagues.

If we are successful and regulations allow, we would like to thank every supporter by inviting you to the market stall or pop-up shop for a meet & greet!

Thank you for supporting our dream and thank you for believing we are stronger together!