On Wed 23 May we held an online conversation with Jobran Khanji on the Lived Experience of Syrian Refugees in Canada
Jobran told us about the findings of a national study on the lived experience of Syrian refugees who arrived in Canada in 2015-16.
On Saturday 27th May 2023, Rethink Rebuild Society team traveled to Carlisle to attend a film screening and talk about the plight of Syrian refugees, the disappeared, Syrian political prisoners, Caesar photos and why it’s important to keep remembering those people and demand justice and accountability for them.
A joint letter calling on the government to abandon plans to remove the licensing requirements for houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) used as asylum accommodation.
Ultimately, 137 organisations signed on and the letter has been sent to both Michael Gove and Suella Braverman.
On Wed 10th May 2023, Rethink Rebuild Society participated in a demonstration against the #RefugeeBanBill at St Peter's Square, Manchester. We wanted to show our solidarity with people seeking safety, say no to the Refugee Ban Bill and demand the UK government to provide practical mechanisms to allow people to apply for asylum from outside the UK.
Over the Eid al-Fitr Period on Saturday and Sunday 22 and 23 April we hosted 2 Eid parties at our centre. Over three hundred people came to our centre to enjoy Eid and have a lovely time with their family and friends. During the party, we organised different games for children and adults. Desserts and refreshments were provided.
During the blessed month of Ramadan, we hosted two community iftars for the Syrian community in Manchester. The iftars witnessed a great turnout. Delicious food, sweets and refreshments were provided. We also performed taraweeh prayers together.
The iftars were a good opportunity to connect and socilaise with our friends and community members.
On Sunday 10 April 2023, we launched a series on online conversations entitled 'down to earth’ where researchers present findings from their research work and discuss the relevance of these findings to the life and wellbeing of refugees.
In the first episode, Bayan Hakki addressed the following theme:
On Friday 7 April 2023, we organised our annual fundraising iftar for Iqraa School (north Syria) at Eastern Pearl Banqueting Hall in Manchester. The school provides essential educational and psychological support to hundreds of children in Syria.
During this winter, we hosted 8 community dinners (hot food and drinks) for the whole family at our centre. 4 dinners were for the Syrian community and the rest were for the larger local communities attracting people from different ethnicity and age categories. The last two dinners happened during the holy month of Ramadan.
On Wednesday 15 March 2023 we hosted a lecture in Arabic about dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It was presented by Dr Rawaa al Nuaimi who talked about causes and symptoms of PTSD, when to get medical advice and how to treat it.