Covid19 fund for migrant, asylum seeker activists
Donation protected
"Thank you for visiting our crowdfunder! This emergency fund has been set up by the immigrant rights and anti-racist organisation Movement For Justice to support our migrant members during the Covid19 pandemic who have either limited or no access to government benefits or permission to legally work
Who are Movement for Justice?
We campaign for and with immigrants to shut down all immigration detention centres, stop deportations, support LGBTQ asylum seekers, win amnesty for all, for LGBT asylum, for free movement and against Brexit - We have almost 200 members the overwhelming majority of whom are immigrants, asylum seekers, refugees - people subject to the racist Hostile Environment. We are unfunded and rely on donations from members and supporters. Our members have fought through being detained indefinitely, unlawful deportation flights, for their right to be who they are and for the rights of all immigrants - now they are fighting to survive through the Covid19 pandemic and need your support.
How do we plan to spend this money?
All money raised will go directly to our members in need, MFJ will cover the Gofundme cost so that 100% of your donations reach the people who need it. We are not a charity and do not intend to make additional hoops or application forms for members to jump through to access money, we will not be asking people what they will be spending their money on or asking for receipts. Since the start of the Covid19 crisis we have been calling through individually all our members to get a sense of how they are coping, what is needed and ensure they are hooked into local mutual aid and support groups. Now we would like to be able to offer some financial support to those who need it most - here are some of our members’ stories (names have been anonymised) ...
Emma: has lived 21 years in UK as a Windrush descendant, but was only given right to remain as a partner of a British citizen last year. Her status must be renewed every 3.5 years and she has no right to work and no recourse to public funds (NRPF). Her partner’s trade work has disappeared due to Covid so they are struggling.
Wilfred: 66yrs old Windrush descendant, currently facing homelessness. Their immigration case is in process but isn’t allowed to work or has No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) as they’re not an asylum seeker.
Carol: a lesbian, immunocompromised asylum seeker with serious health conditions. Although getting some asylum support (£37 weekly), this is not enough to survive on alone especially with the rise in costs of food shopping/delivery and phone use to stay connected.
Max: no recourse to public funds, made income as a security guard on an unprotected, zero hours contract with agency, all work has stopped and she is now struggling to pay for rent and food.
How will the money be distributed?
£0-4000= to give our 20 members most in need £200 each to help with rent, food costs, rising bills for the next month
£4000-5000= to help additional members who are also struggling and could benefit from some financial respite this fund during lockdown so we have set our target at £5000 with the hopes of helping them too.
The money will be divided based on people’s need and transferred directly into people’s accounts or given as cash if they do not have a bank account. Donations will be administered by Karen Doyle, Movement For Justice national organiser/treasurer and updates will be posted here & sent out to donors.
This is a temporary fix and there may well be more people who need support as this period of Covid19 uncertainty continues to develop. Surpassing this target would be the dream scenario that would mean we could then offer help to all of our members who are in struggling financially right now.
If you’ve already donated, thank you so much and if you can’t please take a few minutes to share or forward on our campaign amongst your circles. Each share could lead to an average potential £40 so it could really make a difference to us reaching our target.
You can keep up to date with our organisational work by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @followmfj. Thank you and stay safe
Who are Movement for Justice?
We campaign for and with immigrants to shut down all immigration detention centres, stop deportations, support LGBTQ asylum seekers, win amnesty for all, for LGBT asylum, for free movement and against Brexit - We have almost 200 members the overwhelming majority of whom are immigrants, asylum seekers, refugees - people subject to the racist Hostile Environment. We are unfunded and rely on donations from members and supporters. Our members have fought through being detained indefinitely, unlawful deportation flights, for their right to be who they are and for the rights of all immigrants - now they are fighting to survive through the Covid19 pandemic and need your support.
How do we plan to spend this money?
All money raised will go directly to our members in need, MFJ will cover the Gofundme cost so that 100% of your donations reach the people who need it. We are not a charity and do not intend to make additional hoops or application forms for members to jump through to access money, we will not be asking people what they will be spending their money on or asking for receipts. Since the start of the Covid19 crisis we have been calling through individually all our members to get a sense of how they are coping, what is needed and ensure they are hooked into local mutual aid and support groups. Now we would like to be able to offer some financial support to those who need it most - here are some of our members’ stories (names have been anonymised) ...
Emma: has lived 21 years in UK as a Windrush descendant, but was only given right to remain as a partner of a British citizen last year. Her status must be renewed every 3.5 years and she has no right to work and no recourse to public funds (NRPF). Her partner’s trade work has disappeared due to Covid so they are struggling.
Wilfred: 66yrs old Windrush descendant, currently facing homelessness. Their immigration case is in process but isn’t allowed to work or has No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) as they’re not an asylum seeker.
Carol: a lesbian, immunocompromised asylum seeker with serious health conditions. Although getting some asylum support (£37 weekly), this is not enough to survive on alone especially with the rise in costs of food shopping/delivery and phone use to stay connected.
Max: no recourse to public funds, made income as a security guard on an unprotected, zero hours contract with agency, all work has stopped and she is now struggling to pay for rent and food.
How will the money be distributed?
£0-4000= to give our 20 members most in need £200 each to help with rent, food costs, rising bills for the next month
£4000-5000= to help additional members who are also struggling and could benefit from some financial respite this fund during lockdown so we have set our target at £5000 with the hopes of helping them too.
The money will be divided based on people’s need and transferred directly into people’s accounts or given as cash if they do not have a bank account. Donations will be administered by Karen Doyle, Movement For Justice national organiser/treasurer and updates will be posted here & sent out to donors.
This is a temporary fix and there may well be more people who need support as this period of Covid19 uncertainty continues to develop. Surpassing this target would be the dream scenario that would mean we could then offer help to all of our members who are in struggling financially right now.
If you’ve already donated, thank you so much and if you can’t please take a few minutes to share or forward on our campaign amongst your circles. Each share could lead to an average potential £40 so it could really make a difference to us reaching our target.
You can keep up to date with our organisational work by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @followmfj. Thank you and stay safe
Fundraising team: Movement for Justice (2)
Karen Doyle
Organizer
England
Junia Adenike
Team member