My Story

This is me some decades ago. When this photo was taken my family had recently fled Albania after the breakdown of the communist regime. It'd be years before I understood what that meant. And even longer before I felt safe telling people this.

We lived in a town with few migrants, in a country that wasn't very sympathetic to migrants. 

Since then we've moved a few more times. Moving to countries where I didn't understand the language or the culture. With every move, I'd get asked where I was from, and why I moved. And with every move, I'd drop another part of my past so I could fit in. 

I still get asked those questions today. And today I will proudly say that I am Albanian. And from so many other places that I've adopted. I am a refugee, and a migrant many times over. And life was hard at times, moving was hard, being an outsider was hard. But I've been given opportunities and life chances that I couldn't have imagined. There are so many more people that haven't been given those opportunities.

I'm fundraising for Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network (LRMN). Because every migrant should be given those same opportunities to fulfill their potential, thrive, and live somewhere where they can truly belong. 

And that's exactly what LRMN does for people who walk through their doors. They work with people seeking sanctuary, advocating for their rights, supporting people from all backgrounds to rebuild their lives, and helping them find belonging and community. 

They do this by:

📑 Advice and support helping people navigate our immensely complex immigration system and beyond. Particularly prevalent among those recently awarded refugee status and then given less than a month to find work, get a bank account, and move out of their temporary accommodation 

💗 Improving wellbeing which is so important for people who have been forced to flee their homes and everything they know and have experienced unimaginable trauma. Including survivors of domestic and gender based violence to rebuild their lives.

🍴 Meeting basic needs like food, hardship funds for emergency situations and more

🙌 Campaigning to make our communities supportive, welcoming and safe spaces for people. Because it really shouldn't matter why someone moved or where they're from to live in a place where they can really belong.

Find out more about what LRMN has achieved in this video and donate!