How can you support refugees during a pandemic?

Refugee Welfare Association Cameroon (REWAC) empowers vulnerable migrants through 3 pillars of advocacy, education and food security. This local initiative, supporting migrants in Cameroon for over 10 years, is well-placed to operate emergency COVID-19 aid and education alongside everyday support. But they need your help, please consider donating towards the following items:

[£2] COVID-19 safety face mask

[£7] Antibacterial soap for hand washing

[£12] Community bucket and tap sink

[£20] Thermal blankets for a family of 4

[£50] 2 pots, 1 bag of rice and cooking oil for a family of 5

Action plan: Distribute in total 2,300 masks, 6,000 soaps and 100 bucket sinks alongside cooking equipment, blankets and other aid.

***COVID-19 UPDATE 17/04/20: REWAC distributes the first 300 masks to high-risk individuals, before reaching the fundraising target. Post-hoc fundraising is now vital to cover the cost of emergency masks as well as other vital aid.***

How did it all start?

In January 2009, 5 young asylum seekers escaped violence in Nigeria, crossing the boarder into Cameroon, where they were immediately arrested and detained in prison. 9 days later, they were brought before the court facing charges of illegal immigration, risking being sent back to danger in Nigeria.

The judge, a long-time reader in international law and global migration, recognised the desperate need of these young people. In his ruling, he applied article 31 of the UN Refugee Convention, which specifically prohibits signatory countries like Cameroon sending asylum seekers back to a country where they face serious threats to their life. This is also known as the principle of ‘non-refoulement’.

The judge ordered in the case of these 5 young people, the UN Refugee Agency would adjudicate their refugee status determination. Due to the gravity of their claim, the illegal immigration charges were dropped; the asylum seekers were free to complete their refugee status determination in Cameroon.

Sadly the process of seeking help for over 200,000 asylum seekers in Cameroon, from 26 countries including Nigeria, Chad, the Central African Republic(CAR), Niger, Sudan, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC) and Libya, is rarely as straight-forward as this.

Statistics from the UN Refugee Agency (December 2018) show that less than 1% of asylum seekers successfully complete their refugee status determination process.

Refugee Welfare Association Cameroon (REWAC) is the result of local legal minds, including the judge who adjudicated in this case, to end the systematic violation of the rights of vulnerable migrants and promote, defend and enforce international humanitarian law.

REWAC is a grassroots initiative complimenting efforts made by the UN Refugee Agency, the Cameroon government, and other international development partners in addressing these challenges. Please give generously to support vulnerable refugees at a time of crisis.