Syrian refugees to raise money for local destitute

A joint initiative from local Syrian refugees and the Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre (CRMC) is organising a “Syrian Dinner” on Saturday 3 December to raise funds to support the area’s destitute.

The event, which will seat approximately 150 guests and 20 refugees, was organised by the CRMC’s Syrian Integration Team and hopes to promote social integration by sharing Syrian music, food and culture while fundraising for an important cause.

The menu is being designed and prepared by chef Adnan Khalil Omar, who lives in Wood End with his family. He thanked the people of Coventry for their support since he arrived in the UK last year: “Hopefully this event will provide an opportunity for Syrians like me to give something back to the community, by raising funds for those in the city that really need it.”

The dinner will be attended by a number of Coventry City councillors, and local businessmen and academics are expected to join, as well as representatives from Jaguar Land Rover, which is sponsoring the event.

There will also be members from a range of Hindu, Sikh, Muslim and Christian groups, including the bishops of Coventry and Croyden.

The proceeds will go to the Destitution Fund, which last year provided nearly £15,000 of food, transport and housing support to homeless, immigrant and native UK residents of Coventry.

Sroosh Kouhyar, Social Integration Officer at the CRMC, spoke on the ongoing resettlement process: “Coventrians really celebrate the diversity that the city experiences. We have two universities and diverse student communities, which is another enabling factor.”

Coventry is currently hosts nearly 200 Syrian asylum-seekers, with approximately 30 having arrived on Tuesday. Coventry’s City Council, Law Centre and Citizens’ Advice Bureau were shortlisted last month for the Liberty Human Rights Awards, which took place in London last month.

While the resettlement process has attracted significant backlash in the media, Mr Kouhyar affirmed that in Coventry he has seen no significant social tensions.

Mr Kouhyar is one of many social workers at the CRMC who arrived to the UK as a refugee. After finishing a degree in Politics and International Studies, he returned to the CRMC and helped found the Social Integration Project.

He said: “When I came here, I felt welcome, I felt supported — because I was accessing the system. Now I am in a position to help others; it is really rewarding.”

However, he noted the difficulties of starting over in a new country, with skills and qualifications which are not recognised by UK employers: “This creates a sort of social isolation that undermines individuals as well.”

“This is bad for society and bad for the government; if we create a mechanism that helps them progress quicker, they can find a job faster, pay taxes, support public services and won’t be relying on government benefits.”

The CRMC works together with Warwick’s Student Action for Refugees, which organises social events, campaigns and conversation classes.