Refugee Kindness charity struggling to find funding

A charity which provides household items and clothing to refugees and asylum seekers fears for its future.

Refugee Kindness, based in Wrexham, was founded by barrister Rachel Watkin after she donated some chairs to a Syrian family following a clear-out.

Ms Watkin set up a Facebook group to match families with donated items after realising just how many basics they were missing,

But the charity is struggling to find crucial funding.

Ms Watkin said she established Refugee Kindness when she witnessed the plight of one family who came to her for help.

"When they came to the house, it turned out there were a lot of items they didn't have," she explained.

"They didn't have games for their kids to play with... they didn't have nice things like pillows and rugs, they didn't have as much cutlery as the rest of us would have, they didn't have a fridge freezer.

"And I just thought it was so imbalanced really, so unfair that we have this mass of stuff in our garages that we want to get rid of and they had so little. I knew there must be lots of families like them."

The group now has 2,000 donors and has helped 54 families, but the work involved has become too much for Ms Watkin.

She has taken time away from work to help run the charity and two volunteers are also working seven days a week, plus there are costs involved with renting storage space.

"When I first set it up it didn't need funding, but now we have so many families and we are doing more things, it's become more difficult.

"People have been generous, and they have given us money, but we only have about £1,500.

"We have to take a long-term view if we are going to survive and they only way I think is to create paid employment for people out of this."

Ms Watkin said a lot of funding requires a charity to have been in existence for two years - but Refugee Kindness has existed for less than a year and "just exploded".

"We've given it the deadline of September to secure funding... beyond that, I don't know. The volunteers have given so much."

Khawla, from Syria, said donations she has received, including a sofa, have helped her family to settle in, and she has made friends with the volunteers.

"When we first came here, it was difficult, but now it's good. They helped a lot, and I am thankful."

Her friend Rokaya, also from Syria, arrived in the UK via Lebanon 18 months ago with her two sons. She said Refugee Kindness has helped her, and not only with household items.

"I am a tailor and the group bring me new materials for my job."

Jordan Hughes, the volunteer group manager for Refugee Kindness, said: "It's so rewarding, helping them.

"There are days when I think I will have a day off - but I can't seem to keep away. I love it. I like to help people.

"I have finished university now and it comes to the point when I do need to look for a full-time job to help support me and my daughter.

"I would love to get a job out of this, I'd love to see the group succeed long term."

She also thinks there are many more people who need help.

"There are so many more families we haven't reached out to yet. The opportunity for it to grow is massive."