The influx of Afghan families arriving into the UK in Autumn 2021 with next to no possessions, prompted us to create a new unbranded and non-numbered Refugee SchoolBag so that beneficiary children would not stand out as charity cases. These were packed, boxed and couriered out to the numerous council hubs around the UK who became the perfect outlets for distributing them whilst integrating the new arrivals in to society. The SchoolBags enabled refugee children to have the resources they needed to continue their education, either in the lessons held in the bridging hotels where they were residing or after enrolling into schools if their families were lucky enough to be put in a home. The feedback from the beneficiary families was heartwarming - the SchoolBag became one less thing families had to provide for their children.

"One of the Refugee Council Project Workers invited a family of 3, a mother, a primary age daughter and a secondary age son, to our offices to give each child a backpack. When the daughter opened the lunch box and saw that her cutlery was in the colours of the Ukrainian flag she screamed in excitement, waved it around, and demanded that her mother have a look at the lunch box with her. Both children were very excited to have a brand new bag, along with everything they would need for school, and the mother was very grateful for the wonderful gifts to her children".

Refugee Council Project Worker from the Lewisham hub

The arrival of Ukrainian refugee families in the UK has increased the demand and with an established collaboration with the British Refugee Council, the request for Refugee SchoolBags has now extended to displaced children from nationalities all over the world.