Dear Friends 

Thank you for all you are doing to support refugees, and be part of everything Sanctuary Foundation is doing.

There are many exciting things to let you know about. 

We were delighted to host our first Ukrainian youth council aimed at helping government understand the experiences and key concerns of young refugees.

Varvara and Marianna also took part in a wider youth consultation alongside young people from Romania, Kenya and Bangladesh looking at how to combat violence against children. 

I made a quick visit to Egypt last week to meet with Sudanese refugees escaping the war. We learned a lot through this trip and have had good press coverage. More people are coming forward to sign our petition asking the government to open up a family reunification visa route. It was great to see our work covered in the Guardian newspaper this week. It was particularly encouraging to meet many Ukrainians who want to support Sudanese families hoping to welcome their relatives to the UK.  

You can sign the pledge here.

Over 350 schools have now signed up to join our Great Big Live Assembly on World Refugee Day also on June 20th. This represents over 150 000 children. We are keen to have more schools join us, especially schools in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Please encourage teachers you know to sign up. 

The NO PLACE LIKE HOME literary festival is just a month away. The early bird tickets close soon. So please book tickets for yourself and any refugee guests you may have with you.

St Martin-in-the-Fields Church Trafalgar Square is an iconic venue and a brilliant place to be inspired by stories from refugees who have published their memoirs. 

Many thanks for your support

Krish