Two Iftaars have been successfully organised for the Syrian community in Manchester during the blessed month of Ramadan at our centre in Longsight. Every Iftaar was attended by nearly 70 people who had their Iftaar and performed taraweeh prayers together. It was a lovely atmosphere to reconnect with our community in Ramadan again after 2 years of lockdown because of Covid.
On Saturday 25 April 2022, Rethink Rebuild Society participated in a campaign to Keep Manchester tidy. A group of volunteers from the Syrian community in Manchester gathered together to clean the streets of Longsight and do litter picking. We wish to thank all of those who were involved especially children for their hard work.
On Thursday 21 April 2022, and in partnership with Mawlawi Kurdish Cultural Centre Shekh Raouf Barzinji Mosque, we delivered 2 presentations in Arabic about three important types of cancer in the UK that can be diagnosed early by the NHS free screenings: breast cancer, cervical cancer, and bowel cancer.
On Thursday 14 April 2022, the UK Prime minister revealed a plan that will relocate certain asylum seekers arriving in the UK to Rwanda to have their applications processed. Under the new proposal, certain asylum seekers crossing the Channel to the UK will be provided a one-way ticket to Rwanda.
On Saturday 16 April 2022, we organised our annual fundraising Iftaar for Iqraa School (north Syria) at Eastern Pearl Banqueting Hall in Manchester. This school provides vital educational and psychological support to about 500 children in Syria.
The University of Manchester collaborated with Rethink Rebuild Society (RR) to conduct research entitled “A Humanitarian Perspective on UK Refugee Discourse and the Nationality and Borders Bill”.
On Sunday 27 March 2022, we had the pleasure of meeting Raed al-Saleh, the head of Syria Civil Defence - The White Helmets at our centre, where we talked about the history of the #WhiteHelmets, their roles in documenting human rights violations, the current situation in Syria, and what can be done to protect civilians and help displaced people.
On Saturday 26 March 2022 we concluded our 5th Celebrating Syria Festival with a day full of entrainment for the whole family. It was a great opportunity to enjoy Syrian foods and drinks, spiritual and folk music, and art workshops.
On Wed 23 March 2022, and as part of Celebrating Syria Festival, we had a musical show at TriBeCa in Manchester. Hasan and Rami Nakhleh, two brother from the Golan Heights, returned with a jammed full of pop hooks and quarter-tone melodic lines, “Migrant Birds” unleashing a disco whirlwind that pays homage to the West Asian dancefloor scenes of the 1980’s.
On Tue 22 Mar 2022, and as part of Celebrating Syria Festival, we had our only online event on Assad’s Prisons: The Narrative of Resistance in Lived Experience and in Literature. The talk was delivered by Jaber Baker, a novelist, researcher, former political prisoner, and human rights activist.
