What is Community Sponsorship?
Community sponsorship is a Home Office scheme that enables community groups, such as ours, to become directly involved in supporting the resettlement of families fleeing
Liverpool Muslim Outreach Society - Community Sponsorship Initiative
In the last decade, conflicts in many parts of the world have left millions of people in need of protection. Here in the UK local authorities, community groups and individuals are all helping refugees to feel welcome and able to adjust to a new life. Community Sponsorship, however, is a new way for local communities to be directly involved in helping refugees settle in the UK. Because being a sponsor can also serve to benefit the local community, through enabling the generosity of local people, and creating new bonds within the community.
“..it is not righteousness to turn our faces towards the east or west, but to help relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveller and those who ask for assistance..”
Qur'an Surah Al Baqara Verse 177
Liverpool Muslim Outreach Society are a volunteer group engaged in local community projects such as homeless feeds, asylum outreach, foodbank donations, litter picks and interfaith work. LMOS seeks to build on this by joining the Community Sponsorship scheme. This is a significant commitment and illustrates how the Muslim community is not simply concerned with mosques and faith schools, but is actively working to improve the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves.
Zia Chaudhry MBE, Deputy Lieutenant
LMOS CSI Chair
We are not experts in refugee resettlement but we have a long history of responding to human need in practical ways and have a good mix of skills, ages and backgrounds within our group. But we are still looking for volunteers, so why don't you join us.
Fundraising
The resettled family be entitled to receive state benefits (they will be able to take up work if able), but we as a group needs to have sufficient financial resources to help our family integrate. So the funds may cover items such as interpreting services, public transport, furnishings, £200 for each family member on arrival, interim funding while benefits claims are processed and any additional money that may required to meet expenditure not covered by the benefits our family receive. As part of the application process we will need to submit a budget, outlining all costs.
We have estimated that we need to secure £15,000 to cover the costs which the group will be liable for. Please keep in touch with the community sponsorship blog posts to keep up to date on how we are progressing.
Can you help and donate? Click on the link below
Blog Posts
Community Sponsorship Initiative - Our Journey
My Community Sponsorship Journey
As the threat of Covid-19 increased around the world and lockdowns became law, I observed many whatsapp stories with words to the effect of “now they will know how the refugees feel.” I found this incredibly disturbing. Why?
Community Sponsorship – Logo Competition
As a newly formed community sponsorship group, we decided that we needed to be represented by our own logo. So, we ran a local competition,
Watch LMOS Community Sponsorship Launch Dinner
Chair Zia Chaudhry MBE, Deputy Lieutenant talked about the project and outlined the road ahead
Play Video