Proud to support sector leaders on World Refugee Day
Recognising the charitable organisations who work tirelessly to provide support to refugees and asylum seekers from across the world.
On this World Refugee Day we want take some time to recognise the charitable organisations and leaders who work tirelessly to provide emotional and practical support to refugees and asylum seekers from across the world.
Over the past five years, our pro bono consultancy support and mentoring activity for refugee and asylum seeker organisations and leaders has more than doubled. We are immensely proud that we have been able to support leaders who are committed to supporting people who are experiencing the trauma of being displaced from their homes. We are grateful for the funding that we receive from a number of grantmaking trusts, which enables us to do more work in this sector, in turn helping leaders to become more confident, and organisations to be stronger and more resilient in tackling the challenges they’re facing.
Through more than 60 projects with refugee organisations since 2020, we’ve provided support in key management areas such as business planning and financial management. In a fast-changing environment, with high demand for services, it can be difficult to step back and focus on planning ahead. External support helps to clarify goals and develop the steps to achieve them. Good financial management and information is critical to securing services to the people who rely on them for support.
We have seen a high demand for mentoring, especially from managers, emerging leaders and newer CEOs and trustees. Some leaders have talked about experiencing ‘imposter syndrome’ and being an ‘accidental CEO’ as they’ve stepped into the senior roles with limited formal training and support. The emotional strain and pressure of their work can create enormous pressure, mentoring can help with clarity of direction, timely decision making and greater confidence.
We remain committed to walking alongside refugee sector leaders, helping them to build strong foundations and lead with confidence. We are particularly mindful of the added pressures they face – from public perception and political uncertainty – as well as many leaders having lived experience themselves. These leaders have stepped into the challenging senior roles to make a better future for refugees and asylum seekers and we are honoured to be able to support them.
We’re proud of the relationships we’ve built across the sector, and on behalf of all of the charities and leaders who have worked with us, we would like to thank our partners whose funding and vision make this work possible. We’ll finish our blog with the voice of just one of those leaders:
“The impact of Cranfield Trust’s support on Refugee Biriyani & Bananas has been transformational… Their expertise has helped us navigate challenges with confidence, ensuring we can continue serving displaced communities with dignity and equity.”
— Ruhi Akhtar, Founder & CEO, Refugee Biriyani & Bananas
