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| Help Refugees | |
|---|---|
| Name | Help Refugees |
| Formation | 2015 |
| Type | Non-governmental organization |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
| Region served | Europe, Middle East |
| Leader title | Chief Executive |
Help Refugees
Help Refugees is a humanitarian non-governmental organisation based in the United Kingdom that operates refugee relief programmes across Europe and the Middle East. It provides frontline aid, shelter, medical assistance and advocacy on migration and asylum issues, partnering with charities, international organisations and local civil society groups. The organisation collaborates with actors involved in responses to crises such as the Syrian civil war, the European migrant crisis and displacement from Afghanistan and Ukraine.
Help Refugees coordinates relief across multiple locations including camps, reception centres and urban settings in Greece, France, Germany, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. It works alongside organisations like Médecins Sans Frontières, UNHCR, International Rescue Committee, Save the Children, Red Cross societies and local NGOs. The charity engages with policy forums linked to the European Union, Council of Europe, United Nations agencies and national authorities in the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Greece.
The organisation was established in response to events including the Syrian civil war, the 2015 European migrant crisis and the mass displacement following the Battle of Aleppo. Volunteers and activists influenced by campaigns connected to groups such as Refugee Council (United Kingdom), British Red Cross volunteers and student organisations began grassroots operations in transit points like Lesbos and Calais. Early phases intersected with initiatives from civil society movements referenced alongside events like the Calais Jungle dismantling and humanitarian responses related to Operation Sophia and maritime search and rescue debates in the Mediterranean Sea.
Help Refugees runs shelter projects, distribution hubs, medical outreach, legal aid clinics and education and protection programmes. Field activities operate in coordination with partners such as Doctors of the World, Terre des hommes, Care International, Oxfam, British Red Cross and municipal authorities in cities like Athens, Paris and Berlin. Programmes have included winterisation distributions following weather events similar to the 2016–17 European cold wave, healthcare referrals tied to clinics in Lesvos and child protection work resonant with mandates from UNICEF and International Organization for Migration missions.
Funding sources combine individual donors, philanthropic foundations, institutional grants and corporate partnerships. The organisation has sought support from foundations analogous to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, trusts similar to Open Society Foundations and collaborative grants from entities in the European Commission funding architecture. Partnerships extend to local charities such as Refugee Aid UK groups, networks of volunteers associated with Amnesty International campaigns and alliances with faith-based organisations like Caritas Internationalis.
Advocacy efforts address asylum procedures, reception conditions and search and rescue policy debates involving the European Court of Human Rights, European Commission on Human Rights precedents and national case law in Greece and France. Legal referrals have connected individuals to lawyers engaged with litigation related to the Dublin Regulation, challenges before national tribunals and strategic litigation resembling cases from organisations such as AIRE Centre and Legal Aid Board schemes. The organisation amplifies policy positions in forums where actors like UNHCR, European Council on Refugees and Exiles and think tanks including Chatham House and Migration Policy Institute contribute analysis.
Impact assessments point to emergency relief delivered in camps and urban settings during periods comparable to the 2015–16 Mediterranean migrant crisis and responses after events like the 2021 Kabul airlift and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine displacement flows. Evaluations reference collaboration outcomes with NGOs such as Médecins Sans Frontières and Save the Children on health and shelter. Criticism has arisen regarding accountability models, grant management and transparency debates similar to scrutiny faced by humanitarian consortia and high-profile NGOs, and independent auditors, parliamentary inquiries and investigative reporting outlets have examined supply chains, financial controls and partnership oversight in comparable organisations.
Syrian civil war 2015 European migrant crisis Lesbos Calais Jungle UNHCR European Court of Human Rights European Union Dublin Regulation Refugee Council (United Kingdom) Médecins Sans Frontières Save the Children Red Cross International Rescue Committee Amnesty International Chatham House Migration Policy Institute Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Open Society Foundations UNICEF International Organization for Migration' Caritas Internationalis' AIRE Centre' Operation Sophia' Kabul airlift' Russian invasion of Ukraine' 2016–17 European cold wave' Athens Paris Berlin Greece France Germany Turkey Lebanon Jordan Iraq Lesvos Calais Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation' Open Society Foundations'