As the UK continues to welcome refugees from Afghanistan, the need for long-term service support is growing. Since January 2021, the International Rescue Committee has been partnering with local government and delivering the Refugee Integration in Southeast England (RISE) programme so that refugees can regain control of their lives and thrive in the UK.
A virtual visit
On December 2, 2021, IRC supporters virtually visited Southeast England to see how the IRC UK supports refugees from Syria and Afghanistan to regain control of their lives and thrive in the UK.
Event summary
Timecodes in brackets [0:00] relate to the video below.
- David Miliband, IRC President and CEO, welcomed IRC supporters and thanked them for prioritizing the virtual field trip. [00:10]
- Laura Kyrke-Smith, Executive Director, IRC UK, provided context for refugee resettlement in the UK and outlined IRC UK’s goals and strategies in further supporting refugees. She also urged the Government to commit to resettling more refugees and highlighted the importance of working in partnership with local authorities and the private sector in this work. [06:31]
- Tim Tuckett, Team Manager of the Syrian Refugee Resettlement Programme at West Sussex County Council–IRC UK’s partner, shared the local government authority’s approach to the resettlement response and their partnership with IRC UK in delivering essential services. [13:43]
- Genevieve Caston, Senior Integration Specialist, IRC, provided insight into programs and services that IRC UK is delivering through the RISE programme. She also shared IRC UK’s vision for expanding the programme in order to reach more refugees and provide them with the tools and skills to meet their own needs. [24:00]
- RISE clients, Dr. Abdul Rahman Saimeh and Abdul Satar Tomeh, shared their personal stories, their experience in the RISE programme, and their hopes for their families and community. [38:53]
Testimonials
- IRC clients, Maasomand Hiba, arrived in the UK as refugees seeking medical treatment for their young daughter. With the help of the RISE Programme, the family is now settled into life in the UK and are finding new opportunities for their young family.
Find out more
Please reach out to your IRC contact to talk about how we can work together on this mission.
We found ourselves struggling to cope with our new community due to the language, culture and lifestyle differences. The IRC, through its RISE programme, took in our hands and gave us the last push we needed to thrive and integrate with the British community.Dr. Abdul Rahman SaimehIRC RISE Client