Join us for a drink at the hall and find out more about the Phones for Refugees project. Please donate your old phones, tablets, laptops and chargers to this vital project. Even damaged and ancient devices are useful for parts or refurbishing.
NB For anyone unable to come to the event on Friday our good friends at the Chimney House pub on the corner of Exeter Street have kindly agreed to keep a box behind the bar from this afternoon (25th) for anyone wishing to donate a device.
COLLECTION OF YOUR OLD PHONES LAPTOPS AND TABLETS AT THE HALL
THIS IS A FREE EVENT TO SUPPORT REFUGEES
Smart phones are essential for refugees to establish where they are and where to go next, to keep in touch with family, to get directions and information.
7.00 LEILA CRERAR founder of Uaidrefugees and collaborator at Refugee Info Bus will talk about the work of the wifi bus and show a short film
7.30 CAROLINE LUCAS MP will update us on the refugee crisis
BRING YOUR DEVICES ALONG TO THE HALL ON 28th APRIL. YOU CAN JUST DROP THEM OFF BETWEEN 6.30 – 8.30PM
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD INSTRUCTIONS EXPLAINING HOW TO DISABLE AND WIPE YOUR PHONE, AND HOW TO MAKE A DONATION
There will also be a cash collection on the night.
Below LEILA CRERAR describes the project:
“I (Uaidrefugees) spent the whole of last year fundraising and traveling to Calais refugee camp. We raised £35,000. I collaborated with the Refugee Info Bus, converting a horsebox into a mobile information hub.
Everyday the box was driven into the camp supplying WIFI and vital information to thousands of residents. The benefits were heart warming and full of emotional connections as residents Skyped their families back home, having spent a long time without communication.
In December, after the eviction of the Calais camp, I put on a fundraiser and auction in London with support and participation from Mark Rylance, Khaled Hossini, James Mcavoy, Zoe Wannamaker, David Schwimmer, La Roux, Dan Gillespie Sells, among others. We raised a whopping £19,000 to set up a new Refugee Info Bus in Greece.
The latest exciting news is that on top of this we have just received a grant from Help Refugees for £45,000 towards the new set up in Greece.
Why do we still need more funds and phones?
There is a huge amount still to do in Europe. The more funds we receive the more people we are able to help. As a small organization with very small overheads what we raise goes directly to the project. We have received funds from people who have put on a concert, a charity run, set up a phone collection, and put us on a wedding gift list! Any fundraising ideas small or large are a great help.
Phones are useful in two major ways:
In Calais I collected them for the women and children, so they were able to get online.
Last year I was able to trade Iphones for hundreds of cheaper new models, which went in the backpacks of unaccompanied minors with saved phone numbers of aid workers. This was in the lead up to the eviction, to insure they had a means of contacting people they trusted in an emergency.”