RAMA - Colchester

We are looking for a new caseworker. If you’re interested, please send your CV and letter of introduction to [email protected] and [email protected]
Thank you!

Another avoidable tragedy is unfolding in the Channel. The new Government needs to prioritise opening up safe routes for refugees seeking asylum in the UK so these horrific losses of human lives can be avoided.

Link to article here 👉 https://news.sky.com/story/amp/major-rescue-operation-under-way-in-english-channel-after-boat-carrying-migrants-capsizes-french-media-13208838

Hats off to Macklemore for taking a stand and raising awareness of the ongoing and deteriorating situation in Sudan. Several months ago a UN official described what is happening in Sudan as the worst humanitarian disaster in the world. At a time when other humanitarian disasters are more apparent in the public consciousness and well reported on, the situation in Sudan seems to have been almost completely overlooked. Many RAMA clients have claimed asylum in the UK from Sudan and are terrified for the safety of family members who remain there. All too often we are told horrific stories by our clients of the fate of friends and family members caught up in this dreadful conflict.

Our friends at Colchester Arts Centre welcomed a full house of young and old, from many diverse backgrounds, to this event.

The positive, friendly atmosphere enthused our clients who attended and Delvin read 2 of his poems to an enraptured audience.

The picture of Godwin, from AFIUK, and musician Izzie captures the diversity of the event. And as Godwin said in his address, we must keep telling positive stories to combat racism. Silence achieves nothing. We share so much humanity.

Thank you to the nightshelter who were able to donate surplus food. This will stock our in-house foodbank area. ❤️

The RAMA Football team travelled to Harlow for the much anticipated second leg of our mini-series against The Changing Lives refugee/asylum seeker football team (3-3 from the first leg).

The match was a high octane and high scoring affair from beginning to end on a beautiful late summer evening.

Unfortunately for the RAMA team, we ended the match on the wrong side of an 8-4 defeat but the players, to their credit, didn’t let the result dampen their enjoyment of the occasion and a fantastic time, in great sporting spirit, was had by all involved! ❤️

There is a new vacancy for the MSF/Doctors of the World mobile clinic:

Clinic General Practitioner
- Part Time,
- 3 months FTC
- London and Wethersfield, Essex

If you’re interested or for more information visit: https://cezanneondemand.intervieweb.it/msfuk/jobs/clinic-medical-doctor-45806/en/.

The deadline to submit applications is Thursday 5 September 2024, 11:59pm (BST).

Applicants will need a CV and a letter of motivation.

Clinic Medical Doctor An exciting opportunity to join a small team working to provide primary health and mental health services to people seeking safety in the UK. The post

The UK’s asylum backlog has crept upwards in 2024, statistics show, despite pledges by the last government to drive numbers down.

We remain hopeful that the new government will make timely processing of asylum claims a priority. Too many people remain trapped in an asylum system that leaves them to suffer in limbo for years.

Link to article here 👉 https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/aug/22/uk-asylum-backlog-rose-before-election-despite-sunak-pledge

A huge thank you to Philip Morant School and College for their donation to RAMA! It was collected during their 'Week of Belonging' which took place during National Refugee Week in June.

Among many other activities, the initiative saw a team member from RAMA give assemblies to different year groups, providing students with facts and dispelling myths around asylum in the UK.

Credit to all involved for their participation in interactive tasks and their attention, and for thinking so generously of others in the community. ❤️

RAMA has the pleasure of attending Colchester Pride 2024 event that took place on Saturday 17.08.2024 🏳️‍🌈

Just over a month ago, we partnered with , aimed at enhancing the support we provide to our clients. Through this collaboration, we were thrilled to have received a batch of vouchers that we distributed to those in need, empowering them to purchase essential clothing items.

As we approach the end of distributing the first set of these vouchers, we want to take a moment to reflect on and share with you the profound impact this initiative has had. Each voucher we received was loaded with £20.00, which can be redeemed at any registered charity shop in the area. This might seem like a small amount, but in reality, it goes a long way toward meeting our clients' needs.

With just £20.00, our clients can choose from a wide range of clothing items, from basic necessities like trousers and shirts to essential outerwear such as coats and jackets—perfect for staying warm during the colder months. The ability to select their own clothing not only helps them stay comfortable but also restores a sense of dignity and independence, which is incredibly important.

We’ve seen firsthand how these vouchers have brightened the lives of those we serve. The smiles on their faces and the stories they share with us about finding just the right item are testaments to the positive difference this partnership is making. It’s not just about clothing; it’s about providing comfort, warmth, and confidence to those who need it most.

As we continue to distribute the remaining vouchers, we are reminded of the importance of community and collaboration in creating change. We’re grateful to for their support and to all the charity shops involved for making this initiative possible. Together, we’re making a tangible difference, one voucher at a time.

We look forward to continuing this partnership and exploring more ways to support our clients in the future.

If you would like to donate you can do so by visiting this link: https://www.clothingcollective.org/support-us-donate

Clothing Collective also have a reDonate scheme (which covers specific areas). If you would like to see if you can donate clothing items via their scheme, follow this link: https://redonate.uk/donate/clothing-collective/

At RAMA we also take kindly to clothing donations that we can take with us during our outreach sessions. If you would like to donate clothing to us directly, please get in touch.

Job vacancy 👩‍⚕️👨‍⚕️🧑‍⚕️

Job title: Specialist Clinical Lead
Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Full-time, Flexible working
12 months - fixed term
Band 7
£46,148 to £52,809 a year per annum

The closing date is 03 September 2024

Please apply here: https://www.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/C9364-24-1392?searchFormType=main&keyword=clinical%20lead&location=CO4%205HG&language=en

Please look at stories for the link to apply if you’re seeing this job advert on Instagram.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 SATURDAY 17TH AUGUST IS COLCHESTER PRIDE 2024🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

There will be a march down Colchester high street, but starting at the Mercury Theatre at 10:15AM! The event will continue at FirstSite (ticket entry only).

Buy your tickets here: https://www.colchesterpride.org/buy-tickets

UPDATE- Thank you to everyone that has got in touch! We have received many messages and comments asking if we could provide our donation link for you to make donations towards supplies. We also have a volunteer who has kindly offered to take our client shopping for the right fabrics. If you would like to donate towards materials and supplies please can you use the reference ‘dress making supplies’.

👉Link to our Local Giving page: https://localgiving.org/donation/rama/start

An elderly and disabled Afghan client living in Tendring has had her suitcase stolen and has very little left. She is also a carer for her bedridden husband. She is happy to make her own clothing but would love some material, needles and thread. She is a size 20 and wears traditional dress. If you have any suitable cloth or equipment we would love to help her. 🧵🪡

If you can help, please get in touch ☺️

On Friday, 34 of us which included 6 staff/volunteers and 28 RAMA ‘Friends’, went to Frinton-on-Sea for the day. We all enjoyed encouraging clients to join us on this fun-filled day, despite everything that has been going on in and around the UK and Colm did a wonderful job in Frinton arranging the food order and collection so everyone was fed!

We ate from Young’s Other Plaice and we must say it was, particularly good fish and chips! They were able to provide 35 delicious meals at short notice and were very reasonably priced. Colm also charmed the owner of Mays Boardwalk Cafe, who provided delicious ice-creams and gave us a discount when they discovered we were on a trip for refugees and asylum seekers. It seems these interactions have made a good connection for our next trip.😊 Thank you both for your hospitality.

During the day, people swam and paddled in the sea, played football and cricket and enjoyed being together outdoors in the sunshine.

We want to say thank you to Colm and Elizabeth for organising such a successful trip, to the staff and volunteers that attended to support.

☀️⛱️🌊🏝️🐚⚽️🏏🐟🍟🍦

It was a great pleasure to have Luke, Melanie and Amanda from with us for our team lunch on Friday.

Masses of health inequalities to discuss.

RAMA would like to say a big thank you to two wonderfully talented clients, Rebwar & A***n, who provide weekly barbering sessions at our office for all our other clients, completely free of charge. Thank you guys, you are 🌟🌟🌟

Some pics from our most recent slow cooker club! During which, individuals learn cooking skills, how to use a slow cooker, and meals they can cook. Joyce provides a live demonstration with a chance to get involved, have fun and make delicious meals. Our clients who take part in the session can receive their own bag of ingredients to take home each week and cook at home along with their very own slow cooker. Yummy!

HUGE thank you to M&S for providing us with fresh surplus food. Also to through which this was organised! This food will contribute to our mini foodbank to help and support clients in need. ❤️

You can support RAMA by entering as it has a £2,000 Summer Holiday Bonanza on right now! It is their biggest travel prize ever to spend on a holiday or whatever you choose! Just go to the link below to get tickets!!

t.co

The RAMA refugee/asylum seeker football team played a much anticipated fixture against a refugee/asylum seeker team from in Harlow.

The match was played at Shrub End Sports Ground (generously provided at a discounted rate by Colchester United Community Foundation https://www.cu-fc.com/cucf/) on Wednesday. It was a frenetic game in the hot sunshine with RAMA taking an early lead and then doubling it shortly after. Changing Lives fought back, though and the match ended in an amicable 3-3 draw.

The result was fair and the game was a high quality encounter enjoyed by players and spectators alike! Watch out for the return fixture in Harlow late this summer!!! 🤩

A client of ours has moved into a council property which unfortunately has no carpet. If you have any spare carpet or offcuts you no longer need please let us know and donate them! Thank you ❤️

We are deeply appalled by the recent series of riots and violent incidents that have unfolded over the past week, especially those targeting asylum-seeker accommodations in towns like Rotherham and Tamworth. These violent and racial attacks have caused significant distress and disruption within the nation, from witnessing it via online platforms and reading about it in the news. The violence and racial attacks have been significantly driven by misinformation and racist rhetoric spread online, which has led to the normalisation of dehumanising language targeting minority groups, portraying them as threats rather than individuals in need of refuge and support. This does not only spread falshoods about the targeted groups but also creates a hostile environment where prejudice and fear can thrive. There have been numerous physical attacks, escalating the fear and security amongst these vulnerable communities. The impact of this violence is profound, affecting not just the individuals targeted by also the broader community which becomes divided and mistrustful. Community leaders, policymakers and citizens must work together to challenge misinformation, promote inclusivity and ensure the safety and dignity of all individuals.

We are extremely grateful for the support shown by our local police, our MP Pam Cox and the council who have all reached out to ask how they can help and respond to these fears. We are grateful to all the remarkable people within the Colchester area who consistently support our clients finding a new home.

We continue to strive for the same for clients in areas across Essex, in particular Tendring.

Today we had the Mental Health Toolkit session provided by Mid and North East Essex Mind The training was for our casework team and others. It was provided by Jo and Fraser who were amazing as they kept everyone engaged from start to finish. Thank you Jo and Fraser and thank you Suffolk Mind! ❤️

We want to say thank you so much to Marley from for providing us with delicious and fresh organic vegetables for our slow cooker club. Yummy! 😋

Thanks to the team in partnership with a group of RAMA clients joined the Farming Landscapes for All project at Hill House Farm, on the shores of the River Orwell at Shotley.

The project is all about finding ways for people from different cultural backgrounds to experience farms within their local National Landscape.

The RAMA group experienced a trailer ride through idyllic countryside and farmland whilst farmer Richard introduced them to arable farming and the beautiful marshes along the River Orwell. They learned about agriculture in Suffolk and how we use UK grown crops (pulses, grains etc) in international cuisine while sharing food stories and traditions over a delicious Dal lunch cooked from pulses and grains grown on the farm.

One of our clients was inspired to write a poem, you can read it in the last slide. 🫶

You can support RAMA by signing up to The Essex Lottery from £1 per week.
There is a £25,000 jackpot each week to be won!
Use this link below and 50% will go to RAMA.
Good luck!! 🤞🤞🤞

The Essex Lottery The Essex Lottery - a fun and easy way to support good causes in Essex!

RAMA and all our clients would like to say a big thank you to for their longstanding and continued generosity.

The Arts Centre has long been providing free tickets to RAMA clients for wonderful events at their venue. These events provide enjoyment & entertainment that our clients would otherwise not be able to afford or experience.

Thank you Colchester Arts Centre -a truly inclusive, community spirited and inspirational organisation that enriches Colchester and the local area!! ❤️

Please help - a young family seeking asylum in the UK after fleeing violence in Honduras have been erroneously transferred from their well established support and healthcare services in London. Their caseworker team at Migrants Organise in London challenged the transfer to Colchester and won (the Home Office agreeing that they should remain in place in London) but the decision came a few hours too late and the family had already been transferred that morning.

Refusing a transfer could have a detrimental impact on their claim so they felt that they had no choice at the time. All steps are being taken to reverse the transfer but these things take longer than they should. The urgency is because their youngest child is severely autistic and is receiving therapy/treatment in London. This took a very long time to get in place and it is important this remains in place as the transfer of care to Colchester may take many more months to establish and they may return to London at any time.

RAMA have paid for their train tickets to last week’s therapy appointment at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital so that it wasn’t missed and want to continue to support with this but train fares are expensive. Therefore, we are appealing for help to pay for train tickets for the next few weeks so that mother & child can attend the weekly appointments while the family’s housing situation is resolved.
Thank you for all for your support. ❤️

👉Link to our Local Giving page: https://localgiving.org/donation/rama/start

Joyce⁩ was interviewed about her experience with taking the Life in the UK test by ITV today.

Currently all those seeking settlement here are required to take this test. It is expensive to take, and travel to one of the very few centres costs even more. What it should be is an assessment of civic knowledge but includes pointless questions about things such as pop culture and landmarks. It isn’t relevant anymore.

In 2022 the Lords Committee found the test to be trivial and outdated. It does not take into account people suffering with PTSD or other physical or mental health conditions.