AN APPEAL has been launched this Christmas to raise vital funds for refugees living in Scotland who have risked their lives fleeing from wars and persecution.
The charity Positive Action in Housing (PAIH), which works to end homelessness and human rights violations for refugees and migrants, has launched its Winter Refugee Crisis Appeal aiming to raise £50,000.
The organisation will work in the lead-up to Christmas and throughout the rest of the winter period to provide emergency support for almost 500 refugee families and lone individuals.
In a statement the charity claimed the “levels of destitution and insecure housing amongst people from refugee communities in Scotland has greatly increased” – which the appeal aims to help combat.
It added that due to vital services having reduced opening hours during the festive period, like GPs, lawyers, and the Home Office, the emergency aid will go towards people living in poverty who need these services.
Support from the appeal will go towards families with children, older people, people who are sick, new mothers, and unaccompanied young people from 43 countries including Syria, Palestine, Afghanistan, Iran, and Yemen.
“Your donation will provide essential support to impoverished and homeless or insecurely housed refugee and asylum-seeking families, individuals, and children, many of whom are surviving on as little as £1.20 per day,” the statement read.
“This includes food, warm clothing, bus travel, energy vouchers, and phone data. Every penny we raise goes directly to the families we support, with nothing deducted for administration costs.”
PAIH said it will also be distributing crisis support in Aberdeen, Perth, Erskine, Greenock, Paisley, Dundee, and Edinburgh where people seeking asylum have been “forcibly dispersed”.
The charity added it would welcome all donations, no matter how modest.
In a supporting statement for the appeal one family wrote: “We are a family of three – a new-born daughter (4 weeks old), my wife, and myself – currently staying at a hotel. We are struggling because the hotel does not allow cooking, leaving us reliant on expensive, ready-made food that we cannot afford.
“This has affected my wife’s ability to breastfeed due to lack of proper nourishment, forcing us to purchase baby formula at high prices. We urgently need financial assistance for food and relocation to a city centre, where we can access markets, hospitals, and a supportive community. Despite requesting relocation, we have received no response.”
Another refugee from Gaza said they are struggling to cover their basic needs and that the appeal will help them secure food and clothing.
“I have been here for two and a half years, and my wife joined me nine months ago. However, we are living apart in different cities, which is causing significant financial and emotional strain, especially as she is pregnant with our first child,” they said.
“I currently live with a friend because I cannot afford a place of my own, and I have to travel two to three times a week to visit my wife at great expense. We are struggling to cover basic needs such as food and clothing, and I need help securing a place to live together.
“Additionally, I require financial assistance to manage my personal affairs and purchase a cycle to find work and integrate into society. While my physical health is stable, my mental health is severely impacted due to the stress of my current situation and the traumatic events in Gaza.
“Being separated from my wife is exacerbating my mental distress, and I am having thoughts of self-harm due to the overwhelming difficulties I am facing.”
If you would like to donate or learn more about the appeal, you can do so here.
