December 3, 2021 — Khalsa Aid International and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) have launched a new partnership to support refugees with vital integration services in the UK.
This partnership will build on the IRC’s pre-existing RISE programme (Refugee Integration in Southeast England) which started early this year. Through a range of activities, including cultural orientation and mentorship schemes, RISE gives resettled refugees the knowledge and confidence to thrive, whilst also equipping local communities with the skills to support their integration.
27-year-old Abdul Rahaman, a Syrian refugee living in the UK who recently graduated from the RISE programme, said:
“I’ve lived in Chichester for almost five years now. We settled here safely and peacefully in this great environment with great people around us. I hope to start my job now. I graduated as a doctor and I'm doing some exams to get registered here. So hopefully, after this push from the RISE programme, it's going to be a good achievement after all.”
Through Khalsa Aid’s support, the IRC’s RISE programme will now be expanded to offer refugees employment support through job readiness training and one-to-one counselling.
There is a desperate need for employment support for refugees. It is estimated that refugees in the UK have an unemployment rate of around 70%. However, with immediate support, there is huge potential for refugees to thrive in their local communities. Evidence from other contexts show that early interventions in integration benefit both refugees and the local communities which welcome them.
This is why immediate integration support for refugees, the kind which is provided through the RISE programme, is so essential.
Laura Kyrke Smith, IRC’s Executive Director for the UK, said:
“I am delighted to announce this new partnership between the International Rescue Committee and Khalsa Aid, which will help deliver crucial integration support for refugees living in the UK. With the right support, refugees can thrive in their local communities. As more refugees are resettled to the UK, most recently from Afghanistan, the need for integration support has never been more crucial.”
Ravinder Singh, Khalsa Aid Founder and CEO, said:
“The compulsion to help refugees has been a powerful driving force behind the work we have done since our conception. Through this new partnership with the International Rescue Committee, we are delighted to be able to expand on our work supporting refugees around the world to the UK. This partnership creates an expanding opportunity to tackle the social struggles and inequalities faced by refugees; it is enabling integration by laying the foundations for a sustainable, independent and rewarding livelihood which is what all people deserve.”