Hopetowns, a project facilitated by the AMN via Peaceful Borders, has just released a very encouraging report of its activities during 2020. It is well worth a read. Here is an introduction for those not familiar with the project:
Hopetowns supports the wellbeing of asylum seekers and refugees in the UK, by providing a peaceful and friendly sanctuary. Some of our community members have said it feels like a ‘second home’ to them and one young person said it feels like ‘having a family in London’. Our aim is to take off the pressure of the so-called ‘hostile environment’ of the asylum process in the UK by helping individuals with difficult processes and paperwork they might not understand, and by inviting them to social events and trips to help them take their minds off their challenges. In Hopetowns, many of our regular volunteers as well as our founder, Samer Mustafa, are refugees themselves.
Thanks to the generous support from our funders, donors and volunteers, Hopetowns has been able to continue its activities aimed at providing different types of support to asylum seekers and refugees in Greater London and Folkstone throughout 2020, despite the challenges posed by the global Covid-19 pandemic.