The theme of Refugee Week 2021, ‘We Cannot Walk Alone’, is an invitation to extend your hand to someone new.

Whoever and wherever you are, we hope you will join us in making Refugee Week 2021 a bold, collective act of reaching out. A space for us all to listen, to exchange and connect.

Someone who is outside your current circle has had an experience you have not, or is fighting for a cause you are not yet involved with!. To find out what we can learn from each other and we can build together, over a cup of coffee.

Life is tough for many of us right now, and the future feels very uncertain. Looking after families, our communities and ourselves takes time and energy. There is so much to do.

The challenges of the past year have exposed the deep inequalities between us, including in housing, income and access to healthcare. The pandemic has clearly shown how interconnected we are – that the wellbeing of each of us depends on the welfare, safety and hard work of others.

We are part of a shared ‘us’. See link for more information: https://refugeeweek.org.uk/theme-of-refugee-week-2021-we-cannot-walk-alone/

Frade currently is working with a few asylum seekers who have volunteered with us to help our community whilst awaiting their citizenship.

We are also working with local councils and hosing associations in housing refugees into their temporary accommodation by providing furniture and home furnishings.

Frade has a success story, which is both uplifting and a real human-interest story.

Jamsheed Mjroohislam fled Iran and arrived in Middlesbrough as a Refugee seeking asylum.

Jamsheed a qualified carpenter asked if he could help at a local Charity whilst awaiting his application for citizenship.

Jamsheed, is now fully employed as Frade’s Men’s Shed Supervisor and has helped with over 200 applicants mentoring them through our highly successful Lotto sponsored project dealing with social isolation in the

community. A real life story living the ‘We Cannot Walk Alone’ theme for 2021.