16:00, 12 January 2021
Words by Smiley Team, Staff Writer, London
Refugees and migrants share a history of bringing new enterprise to the UK. Paradoxically, they are often the last to receive help to start businesses and enter employment. Tackling this deficit in support, refugee service provider and social enterprise ACH is kicking off a new project to integrate newcomers to the UK and increase their chances of getting work.
After winning about £1 million in funding, ACH is launching its Effective Digital Entrepreneurship and Business Support (EDEBS) project this month. The two-year program will help non-EU migrants and refugees in the West of England and West Midlands.
Alongside the University of Bristol and the West of England Combined Authority, the organisation will help 500 existing businesses and entrepreneurs just starting out. In doing so they hope to create economic growth and new job opportunities across the two regions.
ACH CEO Fuad Mahamed said: “I am very pleased we have won this significant funding to enable us and our partners to work with hundreds of migrant and refugee businesses and start-ups.”
Regional Mayor Tim Bowles said: “Working with ACH, we have a great track record helping refugee and migrant entrepreneurs get the skills and support they need to grow their businesses, and this takes that to the next level.”
The project was also welcomed in multicultural Bristol, where the mayor, Marvin Rees, said: “I have always been clear that migrants and refugees are an enormous asset to our city, so I’m delighted that ACH has secured this funding which will further unlock the contributions that newcomers can make.”
This project is by no means ACH’s first initiative to help support refugees and migrants across the West of England. They also work to provide training as well as housing refugees and homeless people.
Mayor Rees said: “We have been proud to support ACH on the journey as they have developed their approach, and we look forward to continuing to work with them on this and many other projects.”
ACH works on a variety of initiatives, which include providing wifi to refugees. If you’d like to support them in this you can donate via their crowdfunding page and help them reach their fundraising goal of £2,000 by 19th January 2021. The money will pay for wifi access for deprived refugee households across Coventry.
For more information visit their website.
This project is part-funded by the European Union Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, making management of migration flows more efficient across the European Union.
