Jesuit Refugee Service
London Marathon 2022 - Team JRS UK
Team JRS UK are running the London iconic 42KM to continue the support for hundreds of refugee friends who seek help as we advocate their cause in an uncaring world.
Story
Deprived of the right to work and precluded from accessing any benefits, those struggling to gain refugee status in the UK have no means to afford to pay for their basic needs. One of our refugee friends explains:
The Home Office has identified me as a person with no purpose in life. I have been denied housing, healthcare, legal aid and I dont have any money to support myself.
Our dedicated casework and support team creates a welcoming space where refugees are come to be known, cared for and greeted by name. Offering support to over 300 refugees each month, JRS provides nutrious pantry essentials, packs of toiletries, regular mobile phone top-ups and bi-weekly £15 hardship grants.
When I came to JRS I found each volunteer trying to put in their best effort to welcome me with my name, which in itself is a source of comfort. Each time, each encounter gives me strength to fight for my life.
Our incredible team of runners are running the 2022 London Marathon to raise funds so that JRS can continue to provide hospitality, accompaniment, and welcome to refugees and asylum seekers.
Thank you so much for your support and generosity!
About JRS UK
JRS UK shares the global mission of the Jesuit Refugee Service to accompany, serve as companions, and advocate on behalf of refugees, people seeking asylum, and other forcibly displaced people.
In the UK we have a special ministry to those held in immigration detention at Heathrow, people in Napier Barracks, and those left in limbo (no status, no permission to work and no right to benefits) and completely destitute by the UK asylum process; who are some of the most marginalised in our society today.
We run to accompany: to be with an individual, befriending them and also in some way enhancing their dignity and personal growth.
We run to serve as companions: offering practical assistance whilst walking aslongside through challenging times, and catching up on one anothers news.
We run to advocate for the rights of refugees: working towards changing qualitatively the persons life for the better by influencing public opinion, lobbying and raising awareness about the real hardships asylum seekers and refugees face in the UK today.